In addition to Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, there are several other precious relics of the British canon. For fans of the Bard, London-based rare book dealer Peter Harrington is showcasing one of Shakespeare’s third folios, which have been beautifully preserved. The folios were the first of Shakespeare’s anthologies, featuring 18 plays that had not been published before. “Without the folios, we would have no Shakespeare,” Harrington says. “This one is the rarest folio of the four because of the Great Fire [of London].” There are only a few dozen copies of it in private hands around the world today. A number of the dealers at the fair this year haven’t showcased their collections in Australia before, or haven’t done so for decades. Many of them came to Australia for the annual International League of Antiquarian Booksellers’ symposium. An opportunity for leading rare book academics and dealers to discuss the challenges their field is facing in the 21st century, the event has not taken place in Australia before. Its Melbourne debut, on July 30, led to the 2025 Rare Book Fair featuring a particularly impressive line-up.