The Hamlet manuscript is part of the collection of Viscountess Mary Crapo Hyde Eccles — a bibliophile who amassed an impressive lot of English literature over 60 year in Somerville, New Jersey. It is the "earliest obtainable copy of Shakespeare's masterpiece still remaining in private hands," according to the Christie's auction data. The auction, titled "Important English Drama including Shakespeare from the Estate of Mary, Viscountess of Eccles," will take place at Christie's Rockefeller Center location in New York City, April 14 at 2 PM.
Other titles in the catalogue (of over 100 lots) include writings by such Shakespeare contemporaries as Sir Francis Bacon, Queen Elizabeth I, Ben Johnson, Christopher Marlowe, Sir Henry Irving.
For more information or to bid (on select items) online, visit the Book and Manuscripts section on Christie's website at http://www.christies.com.
