Monthly Archives: February 2016

Henry James and Shakespeare

28 February 2016 is the centenary of the death of the author Henry James. James was born in 1843 in New York but spent most of his adult life in Europe, particularly England. His early novels explore the conflicting cultures … Continue reading

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A new Shakespeare portrait

We’re all familiar with Shakespeare’s face, although it’s often said that we don’t really know what he looked like. Every now and then someone will proclaim another painting to be an original portrait of Shakespeare, newly identified. A new painting, … Continue reading

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Shakespeare’s world in maps

For the next four months the subject of the UK’s relationship with Europe will be at the forefront of our minds. Shortly after the Prime Minister announced that an agreement had been reached for reform to the EU, the Folger … Continue reading

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The Merry Wives of Windsor in the Royal Library

The story that Shakespeare wrote The Merry Wives of Windsor in response to a request from Queen Elizabeth to see Falstaff in love goes back a long way. In the prologue to his 1702 adaptation of the play, The Comical … Continue reading

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Shakespeare at Windsor

A new exhibition Shakespeare in the Royal Library, running from 13 February 2016 to 1 January 2017, celebrates the connections between the royal family and Shakespeare through the collections in the Royal Library and elsewhere at Windsor Castle. Many of the royal … Continue reading

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Scribbled forms on vellum: a living link with the past

Three cheers for Paul Wright, the Manager of William Cowley, interviewed on the Today programme on Monday 15 February (2hrs 49 mins in), about the decision to continue to print UK laws on vellum rather than move to archival paper. … Continue reading

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Shakespeare’s family and the “lost years”

In the last week or so I’ve been hearing about, and reading about, Shakespeare’s parents, who they were, what they were like, and how his family life might have impacted on his career. In her afterword to the new book … Continue reading

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Shakespeare at King’s College London

A number of exhibitions and productions celebrating 2016 as the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death are already under way, but there’s on organisation that’s getting in early by staging a weekend of great one-off Shakespeare events at the end of … Continue reading

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National Libraries Day 2016

Saturday February 6 is National Libraries Day, our annual chance for Libraries to show off some of the great work they do. In 2015 there were 265 million visits to public libraries, but government cuts mean these wonderful institutions are … Continue reading

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Post-war British theatre: Finlay, Gaskill and British Black and Asian Shakespeare

Almost swamped by the understandable outpouring of tributes for the late Sir Terry Wogan, the death of the fine actor Frank Finlay at 89 has passed with little attention this week. Most people remember Finlay for his screen and TV … Continue reading

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