Magicians Ching Ling Foo and Chung Ling Soo were famous rivals because no one knew who was of true Chinese descent. However, their signatures in the Shakespeare Birthplace Visitors' Books uncover the mystery of their proper identities...
Maosheng Hu Tales from the Reading Room Birthplace VisitorsThe first recordings of Shakespeare's works, called Folios, reveal important aspects of his life and times.
Victoria Joynes The Legacy of William ShakespeareNorma Hampson is a long-standing volunteer at the Shakespeare Centre Library and Archive and has written this blog to share details from her current project: listing visitors from the early Birthplace visitor books. Meet the water-colourist Frank Stone.
Norma Hampson Birthplace Visitors In the VaultThis Basque language translation of Hamlet was donated to the library of the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre by Queen Elizabeth II on permanent loan.
Mareike Doleschal Books Donating Shakespeare prospero filesMaosheng Hu has been looking through the early Birthplace visitor books to find details of Chinese visitors. This blog explores William Cartwright from 1885.
Maosheng Hu Tales from the Reading RoomThis recent donation of a facsimile First Folio comes all the way from Meisei University in Tokyo, Japan.
Mareike Doleschal Books Donating Shakespeare prospero filesIn order to make the items in our collections more accessible to the public, we're building a searchable online database! Check out the process we undertake in order to make this possible.
Jennifer Reid Behind the ScenesConduct books from past centuries always reveal fascinating mindsets of different societies. For Valentine's day, we're taking a look into William Whateley's "A Bride-Bush".
Jennifer Reid In the Vault loveFor #ColorOurCollection, the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust has compiled images from our collections in a downloadable PDF file that you can print out and use as your very own colouring in book!
Jennifer Reid Behind the ScenesJoanna Munholland takes a look at an embroidered Holy Bible (King James I Version) from 1629 that we hold in our Collections, and talks about the influence of the Bible on Shakespeare's works.
Joanna Munholland Hidden Treasures In the Vault