The Folger’s collection is vast and varied, including printed books; manuscripts; prints, drawings, photographs, paintings, and other works of art; and a wealth of performance history, from playbills to films, recordings, and stage costumes.
In addition to the rare material collection, the Folger holds a collection of over 100,000 monographs, periodicals, and electronic resources published between the 1830s and the present, related to the understanding and interpretation of Shakespeare, his works and impact, and to the early modern world.
Printed Books
Manuscripts
Works of Art
Performance History
History of the collection
Henry Clay Folger and his wife, Emily Jordan Folger, began amassing the collection of rare books that would become the Folger Shakespeare Library in 1889. They spent decades gathering the world’s largest Shakespeare collection, as well as associated works from Shakespeare’s time. The Library itself opened in 1932, and continues to expand its holdings today.
Caring for our collections
Related blog posts
Explore some of the scholarly work being done with, in, and around our collections.
Finding Beulah
Fellow Sara Pennell hunts down the former owner of one the Folger’s many recipe books.
C. Walter Hodges and Reconstructed Shakespearean Theatres
Fellow Alex Baines looks at the drawings of C. Walter Hodges and how they continue to impact how we imagine the Globe Theatre
Collection Connections: The "You" You Think You Are: "Twelfth Knight," RPGs, and Identity
We revisit Kavita Mudan Finn’s April 2025 presentation as part of our Folger Book Club discussion of Flora Carr’s The Tower. Explore Folger collection items that relate to the novel.
They Lied then, They Lie Now: A Native Perspective on Columbus and Current Events
The Mirror and The Light in the Folger collection
Ahead of the US premiere of The Mirror and the Light, curator Heather Wolfe shares the juicy stories behind items in our collection related to Cromwell and Anne of Cleves.