Since this is about "history" of sorts, (i.e. literary history), I'm guessing that this is the proper place to post.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/nathanra...rean-intrigue/
Until smoking gun evidence emerges which irrefutably proves the notes and annotations are in Shakespeare's hand, I'm siding with the skeptics. Of course, if this "dictionary" is a forgery - or the annotations are in the hand of someone other than William Shakespeare - it won't be the first time a con man has tried to sell a fake for a fortune. How many of you recall Clifford Irving?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clifford_Irving
Irving is just one (of many) who have attempted such literary scams. Also, these two rare book dealers have been preparing their argument, (i.e. that the dictionary is authentic), for the past six years. I would like to know more about the eBay auction and just how they managed to obtain this dictionary for $4,000.00. If these guys knew enough about Shakespeare to know or suspect that the dictionary might have actually belonged to the bard, I would think they would have paid much more than $4,000.00 in order to make sure that no other dealer (or bidder) snatched the dictionary away from their grasp.
If the dictionary is authentic, it would easily be worth more than any one of the remaining 200+ copies of the First Folio. (An original copy of the First Folio - which is not autographed or marked in any way by Shakespeare himself since it was published seven years after his death - went at auction for 6.16 million dollars at Christie's auction house in 2001.) If this "dictionary" is authentic and the notes and annotations are in Shakespeare's hand, the book could easily be worth tens of millions of dollars for the simple reason that the book is unique: There is only one copy (containing writing in Shakespeare's hand) in the world!
Just out of curiosity, I wonder what book is currently thought to be the most valuable book in existence in terms of monetary value? (I would think it has to be a book of which there is only one known [original] copy.) I suppose the answer is easily found via Google, but I'm lazy.
Last edited by Alan C. Lawhon; 05-11-2014 at 01:06 AM.
Reason: Minor edit.
