Andrea Mays on The Millionaire and the Bard (Rebroadcast)

Folger Shakespeare Library: Shakespeare Unlimited

Henry Clay Folger paid a world record price for a book—not once, but twice—as he became the world's leading collector of Shakespeare First Folios. The Folger Shakespeare Library celebrated its 90th birthday this past April. Did you ever wonder how all of our books got here? We talk with economist and author Andrea Mays about The Millionaire and the Bard, her 2015 biography of Henry Clay Folger, who founded the Folger together with Emily Jordan Folger, his wife. Mays shares some of the fascinating financial and personal details of Folger's life: in particular, how he went about assembling the world’s largest Shakespeare collection. Mays is interviewed by Neva Grant. The Millionaire and the Bard was published by Simon & Schuster in 2015. From the Shakespeare Unlimited podcast series. Folger Shakespeare Library. All rights reserved. This episode, “Mine Own Library With Volumes That I Prize” was published November 18, 2015, and rebroadcast June 21, 2022. It was produced under the supervision of Garland Scott, and is presented with permission of rlpaulproductions LLC, which created it for the Folger. It was edited by Gail Kern Paster and Esther Ferington. Esther French and Ben Lauer are the web producers.