University's plan to sell Shakespeare's works branded 'act of stupidity' But Sir Brian Vickers, a visiting professor at University College London, said no two books could be identical because of the practice of printing them and correcting them. He said: "One of these copies may contain a correction that has puzzled people for many years and has never been solved. So to sell them is an act of stupidity of the highest order. These are invaluable documents for research purposes. Henry Woudhuysen, rector of Lincoln College at the University of Oxford, also warned the university would damage its integrity and jeopardise future bequests if it went ahead with the sale, planned to take place at Bonhams in November. He said he feared a very rich private buyer was likely to buy the folios, and thought there was little chance these would be purchased by a library. A spokesman for the university said the sale was just a proposal so far as they sought to expand their historical collections, and they were holding consultations about the plans. He said feedback had so far been "vociferous" and the sale in November had been put on hold. He said: £The Folios in question form part of the private collection of rare and first editions given to the University by Sir Louis Sterling in 1956. They comprise the first, second, third and fourth edition Folios, dated 1623, 1632, 1664 and 1685, in early 19th century bindings. The University's seven other Folios , some in original 17th century bindings , are not under consideration and would remain in the Library. The money raised from any sale would be used to invest in the future of the Library by acquiring major works and archives of English literature. No decision on a sale has been reached at this stage and the University has begun consulting with the academic community. A recommendation will go to the Board of Trustees in October, after taking into account the views of a wide range of scholars, academic organisations and other libraries.