farfel_n05_095_360

Krown & Spellman 360
Santa Monica
SF Book Fair
Feb. '93
$35
Holinshed , Raphael, d.1580
....The... chronicles of England, Scotlande , and Irelande
London : Henry Benneman (d. 1583 - a former apprentice
of R. Wolfe) he did the actual painting
of the 1577 Chronicles for the syndicate of book sellers.
The Historie of England 1) George Bishop.
p.93 & 94 (329, 371, 351, 341 2) John Harrison. (Reginald Wolfe's son-in-law)
360 AD - Octavius-(Augustus) 3) Lucas Harrison.
- each of the sponsors had his own name printed in
his share of the copies.
Reginald Wolfe - late printer to the queen's majesty -
began printing in 1542 - died 1573.
The compilation of the chronicles was begun by Reyner
Wolfe, publisher, assisted by Holinshed & William Harrison.
As at Wolfe's death it was not ready for publication, its
completion and publication were undertaken by George Bishop,
John Harrison & L. Harrison; and Holinshed was engaged,
(1547 - 1618)
to assistance of William Harrison & Stany hurst to complete it.
Engraved title page in V.! ; part, 2 V.1; part 3, V.1; and V.2.
Paging very irregular. Black letter.
- Notes of John Leland (1506? - 1552) were freely used by
Wolfe & Holinshed.
1577 - usually vound as 2 small folio volumes , runs to 3000
erratically numbered pages of blinding black letter type
in double columns - over 100 pages of indices - 2 million
words of text.
1587 - 2nd enlarged ed. 7 years after Holinshed's death.
It is in 3 folio volumes (usually bound as 2) - The type is
again black letter in double columns , but the pages are
larger - standard folio size & these are not illustrated
at all - text, 3 1/2 million words. Printer Henry Denham.
The Chronicles are remembered not for themselves , but for
one of their readers, W. Shakespeare ( source for 13 of his
37 plays) Henry VIII - follows Hollinshed closely. Scottish section -
S.T.C. 13569 his only source for Macbeth.