You can't do this without money, without a lot of money. To live life to the full in Havana, London, Paris. 'Perhaps this person decided to live one day as a lion rather than spend his days as a lamb. 'Then maybe the person fell in love and thought it's time to realise an asset. He told Mike Kelly, a journalist for the Sunday Sun newspaper in Newcastle: 'It wasn't kept in a bank vault - it was openly kept on a book shelf and lovingly cherished. But shortly before his conviction, he told his biographer a story about a 'lonely man' who once tramped the streets of Durham and sneaked into a library from which he took the book and kept it for 10 years. VVilliam Shakespeares comedies, histories. Its a collection of 36 of Shakespeares works and was brought together by two of his friends, John Heminges and Henry Condell under the full title of: Mr. Scott always denied stealing the first folio. The book often referred to as The First Folio was published in 1623, 7 years after the death of William Shakespeare. They were first printed in 1623, seven years after Shakespeare's death. Regarded as one of the most important printed works in the English language, fewer than 250 copies of the collection survive. Staff at the renowned Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington DC recognised the valuable book and called the police, the British Embassy and the FBI. Scott drove a yellow Ferrari and posed as an international playboy despite having huge debts, the court heard.

'It is clear that from the (psychiatric) report you are not suffering from any mental disorder.' Passing sentence, Judge Richard Lowden said: 'You are to some extent a fantasist and have to some degree a personality disorder and you have been an alcoholic. 'As with all deaths in custody, the independent Prisons and Probation Ombudsman will conduct an investigation.'Ī jury at Newcastle Crown Court found Scott guilty in July 2010 of handling stolen goods and removing stolen property from Britain.īut he was cleared of stealing the book from Durham University in 1988. Scott, who had a taste for the high life, was jailed in August 2010 after being caught when he walked into one of the world's leading Shakespeare research centres with the 17th century book, which was recognised by staff.Ī Prison Service spokeswoman said: 'HMP Northumberland prisoner Raymond Scott was pronounced dead at approximately 8.40am on Wednesday March 14 after being found unconscious in his cell. Raymond Scott, 55, was pronounced dead after being found unconscious in his cell in Northumberland Prison at about 8.40am yesterday.

Tanya Kirk is Lead Curator of Printed Heritage Collections 1601–1900.An unemployed antiques dealer who was jailed for eight years for handling a stolen copy of a rare first collection of Shakespeare's plays has died in jail. The British Library has five copies, one of which is complete, and it is this copy that is presented with an introductory booklet by curators Adrian S Edwards and Tanya Kirk.Īdrian S Edwards is a rare books librarian and Head of Printed Heritage Collections. Of the 750 copies that were originally published, some 200 exist today. As a result, no two surviving copies of the First Folio are identical and few are complete. Small alterations were also made to the (now iconic) portrait of Shakespeare created by Martin Droeshout for the title page. Without it, performances of such popular plays as The Tempest, Twelfth Night and Macbeth would not be possible.Ĭhanges and corrections were made during the long printing process. It is the only contemporary source of eighteen of Shakespeare's plays. The significance of the First Folio cannot be underestimated. Published to mark the 400th anniversary of the book's original publication, this facsimile edition faithfully reproduces one of the finest copies held in the British Library collections.

Raymond scott shakespeare first folio