Shakespeare First Folios are getting busy, visiting (nearly) every U.S. state and territory.

The First Folios of William Shakespeare are a relatively rare commodity. Of the 750 that were originally printed in 1623, an estimated 228 still exist in varying conditions. Containing the first printed total collection of Shakespeare's dramas, comedies, and histories, the First Folio contains thirty-six plays, including first known printings of such notable works like Macbeth, The Taming of the Shrew, and The Tempest (among others), yet most folios are incomplete. Indeed, only 40 copies remaining today are considered complete in totality.

The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., owns 82 First Folios and has decided, in commemoration of Shakespeare's upcoming 400th birthday in 2016, to lend out a First Folio to every state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Any public institution looking to host the First Folio in its state or territory can apply to the Folger by September 5, 2014, but must meet the museum's requirements for security and environmental conditions before it will even be considered.

Folger exhibitions manager, Caryn Lazzuri, tells the Washington Post that the logistics are intense and a bit overwhelming at times. "I'm both excited and nervous about it," she tells the paper. "If something goes wrong, it's probably my fault."

Acceptance of the inevitable is always a good first start.





When did Guam become the redheaded tropical stepchild of America? How come Guam doesn't get a First Folio to bandy around? Guam is more noteworthy than the Virgin Islands. Hell, logistically, the Virgin Islands can piggyback off the First Folio Puerto Rico gets. They're all lumped together geographically in the Caribbean. But Guam? It's nearly 4,000 MILES TO THE WEST of Hawaii. And in case you haven't noticed, Hawaii exists pretty much as a landing strip in the middle of the Pacific in case your plane runs out of gas. (And it has nice beaches and whatnot.)

Guam even has more people than the Virgin Islands, roughly 50,000 more, so by comparison it's the swinging, happening hotspot of American shindigs in the western Pacific. And yet they seemingly will be denied any Shakespeare love.

Don't even get me started on American Samoa getting shafted.