Collecting Early English Histories

The Tower of London hardly seems an ideal setting for the composition of an ambitious book, particularly when the writer, a condemned traitor, is awaiting imminent death. And yet, one of the seventeenth century’s great historical works was produced under just such circumstances. Imprisoned in the Tower from 1603 to 1616 by King James I, Sir Walter Raleigh began his work on The History of the World, which was first published in 1614.



Raleigh-a poet and soldier, an entrepreneur and scholar-was the quintessential Elizabethan, accomplished in all things. He had acquired fame and fortune during the reign of the Virgin Queen; once James acceded to the throne, fame and fortune were supplanted by notoriety and poverty. In 1603, Raleigh found himself imprisoned in the Tower, more for his political and religious affiliations than the trumped-up charges James I had brought against him. Perhaps to pass the time, perhaps to attack the injustice of his imprisonment through the only weapon available to him-his pen-Raleigh began his History of the World. Raleigh’s History was as much a topical political tract as it was a survey of ancient civilization. Its refutation of the divine right of kings, in particular, was not calculated to soften James’ antipathy toward the prisoner. Raleigh had intended to publish the work in three parts, but completed only the first volume before he met with the executioner’s axe.



The work as it stands begins with the Creation and ends at 130 B.C., extensively covering the three great ancient empires of Babylon, Assyria and Macedon and devoting much study to Jewish, Greek and Roman history. Although Raleigh never completed it, The History of the World, which went through ten editions between 1614 and 1687, endures as one of the most important books of the Elizabethan era and as one of the most valued texts sought after by the collector of histories.



The Elizabethan age gave rise to a number of other important historical works. This era produced the father of English historical studies, William Camden, best known for his Britannia and Annales. Published in 1586, Britannia, the first comprehensive history of Roman England to include historical as well as topographical analysis, was also revolutionary in its critical evaluation of sources. Annales, a history of Elizabeth I, encompasses all aspects of her reign, including many interesting details concerning exploration of the New World. Initially published in Latin in two parts (1615 and 1627), Annales was translated into English only in 1625, two years after Camden’s death, in accordance with the author’s wishes. Camden’s works, particularly in their treatment of subject and methodology, laid the groundwork for the development of a long-standing tradition of antiquarian and historical studies in Britain.



Two other Tudor histories demand special notice: Hall’s Union and Holinshed’s Chronicles. Both works were important sources for Shakespeare’s historical plays. First published in 1548, Edward Hall’s Union of the Two Noble and Illustre Famelies of Lancaster and Yorke begins with the accession of Henry IV in 1399 and continues up to the death of Henry VIII in 1547, detailing the turmoil created by the Wars of the Roses and the eventual rise of the Tudor monarchy. Hall’s work is important for a number of reasons, but most significantly, it provides a first-hand account of the reign of Henry VIII and perceptively relates the opinions and attitudes of sixteenth-century English society. In 1555, Hall’s Union, along with a number of other works, was banned by Queen Mary. Consequently, the work became exceedingly rare and early editions are quite scarce.



Raphael Holinshed and his team of historians drew on Hall’s Union in compiling their Chronicles. “Holinshed,” as this collaborative work is generally known, was first published in 1577; a second edition, enlarged but without the original woodcut illustrations, appeared in 1587. The most comprehensive history of the British Isles available at the time, it became a major influence on Elizabethan literature. Shakespeare borrowed from Holinshed, not only for content, but for phrasing as well. Spenser also acknowledged his debt, observing, “Master Holinshed hath much furthered and advantaged me.” Published at a time when the concept of nationalism was beginning to take root in England, the work was extremely popular, owing to its deeply patriotic flavor. Like Hall’s Union, the Chronicles were also subject to royal censure: Queen Elizabeth’s displeasure was evoked by certain aspects of Holinshed’s treatment of her reign. To varying degrees in various copies, the work underwent extensive cancellations and is now extremely difficult to find complete, though copies with the censored passages intact are occasionally found.



With any early printing, proper collation and completeness are two of the most important factors for the collector to consider. Early printed histories frequently have cancels, or appear in mixed or incomplete editions as a result of censorship. Nor is it unusual for maps and plates to be excised from the text. For a work such as Raleigh’s History, for example, which contains a number of interesting maps and plans, it is not unusual for a copy to lack one or more of these. Furthermore, an early printing may at one time or another be rebound, in which case entire leaves or plates may be accidentally removed and never rebound with the rest of the text. Early printings may exhibit a number of other irregularities as well: misbound signatures, mistakes in pagination, etc.



Condition is another important factor to consider. Although the standards for early printings differ significantly from standards for later and modern printings, condition is still an important factor in evaluating books printed within the first few hundred years of the invention of Gutenberg’s press. Embrowning, dampstaining, worming, rubbing-these are all common condition problems for early printings. The degree to which any or all these problems occur in any given copy will determine the overall condition and desirability of that copy. Some level of wear is to be expected, and in many cases the assessment of condition is largely a comparative process, based on knowledge of other existing copies.



Early English histories are among the most fascinating texts to the collector. Whether the collector is seeking Shakespearean sources, primary political accounts, or simply has an interest in either the history of England or early printing, the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries have much to offer.