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Image Credit: © Dulwich College

See a First Folio of William Shakespeare's plays on display at the National Maritime Museum.

The Folio, owned by Dulwich College, is one of only 50 known surviving copies in the UK. It will be on free public display as part of a national celebration marking 400 years since the First Folio's publication.

See the Folio on display inside the Maritime London gallery, and discover the connections between Shakespeare, the sea and Britain's maritime history.

The Dulwich College Folio
The First Folio was published in 1623, seven years after the death of William Shakespeare. It was the first printed edition of Shakespeare's collected plays; without the Folio, many of his most famous plays might never have survived.

Around 235 copies of the First Folio survive today, with 50 in the UK.

The edition on display at the National Maritime Museum is owned by Dulwich College, and is believed to have been acquired by the College in 1686.

The Dulwich College Folio is in two volumes and includes both the Comedies and Histories; the Tragedies are missing. Handwritten notes, ink and water stains indicate this edition could have been used as part of theatrical productions, offering a tantalising connection to performances of the past.

Displayed alongside the First Folio will be a copy of The Telltale, a manuscript play written sometime after 1605, and a petition from Thames watermen to reopen the Rose Theatre in 1590 following an outbreak of plague.

This year marks the 400th anniversary of the First Folio's publication, with celebrations, events and exhibitions taking place up and down the country.

* Suitable for all ages.