Stage set for rare show of Shakespeare's classic plays

The public is getting a rare peak at first and early editions of some of William Shakespeare's most beloved plays.

The Boston Public Library is commemorating the 400th anniversary of the Bard's death with Shakespeare Unauthorized, a free exhibition that opens on Friday. The library famously holds a copy of the so-called First Folio, the earliest published collection of Shakespeare's works.

Early "quartos," or booklets for individual works like A Midsummer Night's Dream, Hamlet and The Merchant of Venice, are also among the highlights of the exhibition.