Doha: On the 400th death anniversary of Shakespeare, Vodafone and the British Library have made some of the earliest and rarest editions of the Bard’s plays available to all, allowing people to download his most popular works from specially-designed wallpaper featuring virtual library bookshelves.
Versions of Romeo & Juliet; A Midsummer Night’s Dream; and Hamlet are among the original works which can be downloaded for free.
Shakespeare’s plays began to be printed in 1594 and appeared as pamphlets called ‘quartos’. Affordably priced and pocket-sized, the creation of these editions made his works available to the masses in print for the first time, and today they are the earliest printed records of many of his greatest plays. The Digital Library is providing new, unprecedented access to free copies of the quartos by allowing people to scan the QR codes printed on the virtual books as the ‘digital library’ tours the UK and appears in locations around the world. The wallpaper will also provide digital links through to British Library’s Discovering Literature website, revealing more about Shakespeare and his plays.
The Digital Library’s first official appearance was part of the Feast of St George celebrations in Trafalgar Square on April 23, the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death. It is will tour the UK and appear in public spaces and schools in countries around the world, including Albania, Qatar and the Czech Republic. In Qatar, the wallpaper is displayed at Doha College, one of the oldest British curriculum schools in the country.
The Peninsula
