Sotheby’s will auction off the set in London on May 23.

This Complete Set of Shakespeare’s Four Folios Could Sell for $6 Million

In the 17th century, the Bard’s plays were preserved for posterity in the First, Second, Third and Fourth Folios. Now, all four volumes are being sold as a set

Cassandra Austen's 1795 hand-drawn copy of a plate from a 1786 drawing instruction manual

See the Forgotten Paintings Made by Jane Austen’s Older Sister, Cassandra

A new exhibition at the Jane Austen House in England includes six artworks that are going on public display for the first time

The North Wind, Emily Brontë, 1842

Rare Watercolor by ‘Wuthering Heights’ Author Emily Brontë Will Go on Public Display for the First Time

“The North Wind,” painted while Emily and her sister Charlotte were studying in Belgium, is now heading to the Brontë family home in Yorkshire

Newbury is the birthplace of Michael Bond, the British author who wrote the Paddington series.

Judge Reprimands Thieves in Bear Statue Heist: ‘Your Actions Were the Antithesis of Everything Paddington Stands For’

Daniel Heath and William Lawrence, a pair of 22-year-old members of the British Royal Air Force, apologized for stealing a statue of the beloved bear from a park bench

A digitization of a draft from the Wren Library (above) and a multispectral image processed by Michael Sullivan from raw imaging by Andrew Beeby (below)

Art Meets Science

Advanced Imaging Reveals Crossed-Out Words in the Poems of Alfred Tennyson

The 19th-century English poet was a “prolific reviser” who tested out many variations of his work before publication. A new study sheds light on his creative process

Curator Katherine Carter with the restored Marlborough portrait in Chartwell's main staircase

Restoration Reveals the Secrets of One of Winston Churchill’s Most Beloved Paintings

Long thought to be a family heirloom, the artwork was actually gifted to the British prime minister in 1942 during the darkest days of World War II

The poem was discovered by researcher Leah Veronese.

Cool Finds

‘Politically Repurposed’ Copy of Famous Shakespearean Love Sonnet Discovered Inside a 17th-Century Poetry Collection

The rare handwritten copy of “Sonnet 116” features several additional lines, which may have been an attempt to insert British royalist ideas into the romantic ode, according to researchers

A recently discovered trove of Winnie-the-Pooh materials found new homes in the United States and the United Kingdom after selling at auction.

Cool Finds

Man Finds Rare Trove of Winnie-the-Pooh Drawings and Manuscripts in His Father’s Attic

The papers connected to author A.A. Milne—including original drafts, illustrations, letters, poems and corrected proofs—sold at auction for more than $118,000

The eye on the coin does not have lashes and is designed to resemble a camera lens.

George Orwell Gets His Own £2 Coin Featuring an All-Seeing Eye

Inscribed with quotes from “Nineteen Eighty-Four,” the Royal Mint’s latest release honors the author on the 75th anniversary of his death

The Charles Dickens Museum is celebrating its anniversary by displaying rare books, artworks, letters, artifacts and other unique historical objects connected to the 19th-century author.

See Charles Dickens’ Rare Manuscripts, Teenage Love Letters and a Copy of ‘David Copperfield’ That Traveled to Antarctica

To celebrate its 100th anniversary, the Charles Dickens Museum in London is staging an exhibition of historic objects that shed light on the writer’s life and legacy

Works entering the public domain include The Sound and the Fury, the first recordings of Rhapsody in Blue, Popeye, Tintin and The Broadway Melody.

Happy Public Domain Day! Popeye, ‘Rhapsody in Blue,’ ‘The Sound and the Fury’ and Thousands of Other Captivating Creations Are Finally Free for Everyone to Use

On January 1, 2025, copyrights will expire for books, films, comic strips, musical compositions and other creative works from 1929, as well as sound recordings from 1924

A portrait of Ian McKellen (center) hanging alongside depictions of (from left to right) Frances Barber, Charles Dance, Harriet Walter and Simon Callow

See How Talking Portraits Bring the Greatest Living Shakespearean Actors to Life

A collection of ten digital portraits of famous thespians—including Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart and Harriet Walter—are on view at the Red Eight Gallery in London

A suitcase containing Ernest Hemingway's early writings was stolen in 1922. The exhibition imagines what his first novel might have looked like.

None of These Books Exist. An Inventive New Exhibition Asks: What If They Did?

“Imaginary Books: Lost, Unfinished and Fictive Works Found Only in Other Books” spotlights more than 100 texts written (or invented) by the likes of Shakespeare, Byron and Hemingway

William Shakespeare, Walt Whitman, Sylvia Plath and Emily Dickinson were among the well-known poets with works included in the new study.

ChatGPT or Shakespeare? Readers Couldn’t Tell the Difference—and Even Preferred A.I.-Generated Verse

A new study suggests people might like chatbot-produced poems for their simple and straightforward images, emotions and themes

First-edition Jane Austen novels in a special display case at her former home

See Rare First-Edition Copies of Jane Austen’s Novels at the Cottage Where She Wrote and Revised Them

A new exhibition at the author’s home in Chawton, which has never previously displayed all six first-edition books together, is part of preparations for the author’s 250th birthday celebrations

This etching of a small face may be one of William Blake's earliest engravings.

Cool Finds

These Tiny Doodles May Be William Blake’s Earliest Engravings, Overlooked for Nearly 250 Years

Using high-res scans, a researcher uncovered scribbled etchings likely made by the British poet and artist while working as a teenage apprentice engraver in the 1770s

The Lizzy avatar, created by StarPal in collaboration with the University for the Creative Arts

‘Pride and Prejudice’ Gets a New Adaptation: an Interactive A.I. Avatar

Lizzy, the avatar based on the novel’s Elizabeth Bennet, will hold period-accurate conversations with visitors at Jane Austen’s cottage home

To save it from collapse, crews will conduct extensive renovations at William Blake's cottage in West Sussex.

William Blake’s Cottage Will Be Saved—and Transformed Into a New Museum

The 18th-century poet wrote some of his most renowned works in the house in southern England, which has since fallen into disrepair

The medieval archway was buried beneath layers of plaster and brick.

Cool Finds

Historic Theater Discovers 15th-Century Doorway That May Have Led to a Dressing Room

Some experts speculate that Shakespeare could have used the room to change costume during performances in the late 16th century

The Dolphin Hotel is a historic structure dating in Southampton, England.

Inside the Controversial Plan to Turn a Hotel Where Jane Austen Attended Balls Into Student Dorms

Devoted readers are worried about the fate of the historic Dolphin Hotel in southern England

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