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.
Animal Magnetism: Absorption and Attraction in Early Modern Recipes
Fellow Madeleine Sheahan looks at early modern medical recipes that use an ingredient that can’t help but seem gruesome to modern readers: puppies.
Remembering Earle Hyman at 100
The first Black actor to play a wide variety of Shakespearean roles in America, Hyman was equally loved for his portrayals of Panthro in ThunderCats and Russell Huxtable on The Cosby Show. His papers are now in the Folger collection.
Collection Connections: 'Fair Rosaline' by Natasha Solomons
We revisit Eleanor “Ellie” Milne‘s September 2026 presentation as part of our Folger Book Club discussion of Natasha Solomons’ Fair Rosaline.
Other People's Mail | John Donne
We know John Donne as a famous poet and divine, but in the 17th century he was also celebrated as a letterwriter. It is no surprise, then, that after Donne and Anne More secretly married, he broke the news to his new father-in-law in a letter.
