Paris ( CNN ) -- A librarian in northern France made what may be the discovery of his lifetime when he uncovered a rare Shakespeare 's First Folio in his library 's collection . There are fewer than 240 known copies of the First Folio -- the first printed collection of 36 of William Shakespeare 's plays , produced in 1623 , seven years after his death -- so turning up a new one is an unlikely event . For Remy Cordonnier , director of the medieval and early modern collection at the library in Saint-Omer , the moment he realized what he held in his hands was one of excitement -- and disbelief . He was preparing an exhibition on Anglo-Saxon authors in September when he came across the First Folio . It was missing some pages , which is why it had been misfiled many decades ago . `` We looked deeper and we realized quickly that it was not a common edition , '' Cordonnier told CNN . At first , the director could not believe what he had found . `` I think I have 2.5 million pounds in my hands , '' he told his boss . He then sought advice from Eric Rasmussen , a Shakespeare expert at the University of Nevada in Reno . `` I am not an expert myself on Shakespeare 's pieces , so I wanted to have the opinion of an expert , '' said Cordonnier . `` This is why I contacted Eric Rasmussen to make sure they did not already know about the First Folio . He was actually in London working on the Shakespeare year at the British Library and agreed to come to authenticate the document . '' Rasmussen 's authentication , just this past weekend , confirmed what Cordonnier had suspected . The Saint-Omer library was home to a Shakespeare 's First Folio . This discovery `` will add prestige to the region and help reconnect with our illustrious history , unfortunately forgotten for a century and a half , '' Cordonnier said . The library still plans to make the First Folio part of the Anglo-Saxon exhibition , but it will not be put on display . `` It is going to be digitized to be accessible to the public , at least virtually , '' Cordonnier said . The precious book , meanwhile , will be stored in a safe to protect it from any damage . According to the British Library , which holds four copies , the First Folio was produced by two of Shakespeare 's fellow actors and closest friends , John Heminge and Henry Condell . Although some of the playwright 's works had been published before in a smaller , poorly edited format , the roughly 900-page book was the first to unite almost all of them , categorized as `` Comedies , Histories and Tragedies . '' Without the First Folio , much of Shakespeare 's work would have been lost to subsequent generations . The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington , with 82 First Folios , has the single largest collection of the books , representing one-third of the world 's existing copies . Shakespeare turns 450 this year . CNN 's Marion Lory reported from Paris , and Laura Smith-Spark wrote and reported in London .
A librarian stumbles across a previously unknown Shakespeare 's First Folio . The copy had been misfiled decades ago in the library in Saint-Omer . The book , printed in 1623 , is one of fewer than 240 known to exist in the world . It was discovered by an amateur historian who found it while cleaning out his attic and decided to make some copies for friends and family.