The book that saved Shakespeare for the world

The First Folio Why words written more than 400 years ago still echo today, Julian Shea reports in London. "As far as I'm aware, this is the best condition copy — I'm sure there are others lying around but as far as something authenticated, and in the best possible condition, goes, this is the one we have," Munsur Ali, chair of the City of London Corporation's culture, heritage and libraries committee, told China Daily. In addition to the folio, the Guildhall Museum is currently displaying one of only six authenticated examples of Shakespeare's signature, usually kept in the London Metropolitan Archive, and Ali said he hoped the display would encourage people to discover what the Guildhall gallery had to offer. As part of the Cultural Olympiad alongside the London 2012 Olympic Games, theater companies from all over the world came to the Globe to perform Shakespeare's plays in their own language. The National Theater of China performed Richard III in Mandarin, and Sarossy said it was no surprise how universally translatable across time and continents Shakespeare's work continues to be.