The Folger Shakespeare Library is an independent research library located on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. It was founded by oil magnate Henry Clay Folger in 1932.
The Folger is home to the world's largest collection of the printed works of William Shakespeare, as well as collections of other rare Renaissance books and manuscripts. Also included in the collections are playbills, paintings, drawings, engravings, prints, musical instruments, costumes, and films. The centerpiece of its collection is a group of 79 of the approximately 240 surviving copies of Shakespeare's 1623 First Folio.
In addition to its scholarly mission, the Folger serves as a museum devoted to Shakespeare's life and times, as a center for the literary and performing arts, and as a resource for K-12 humanities educators.
The annual PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction readings are performed in the Folger's Great Hall.
The privately endowed Folger Shakespeare Library is administered by the Trustees of Amherst College.
