The English Provincial Book Trade : Bookseller Stock-Lists, C. 1520-1640
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THE ENGLISH PROVINCIAL BOOK TRADE: BOOKSELLER STOCK-LISTS, C. 1520-1640 Volume One Jennifer Winters A Thesis Submitted for the Degree of PhD at the University of St Andrews 2012 Full metadata for this item is available in St Andrews Research Repository at: http://research-repository.st-andrews.ac.uk/ Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/10023/3449 This item is protected by original copyright 1. Candidate’s declarations: I, Jennifer Winters, hereby certify that this thesis, which is approximately 73,000 words in length, has been written by me, that it is the record of work carried out by me and that it has not been submitted in any previous application for a higher degree. I was admitted as a research student in September 2007 and as a candidate for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in September 2008; the higher study for which this is a record was carried out in the University of St Andrews between 2007 and 2012. Date signature of candidate 2. Supervisor’s declaration: I hereby certify that the candidate has fulfilled the conditions of the Resolution and Regulations appropriate for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the University of St Andrews and that the candidate is qualified to submit this thesis in application for that degree. Date signature of supervisor 3. Permission for electronic publication: In submitting this thesis to the University of St Andrews I understand that I am giving permission for it to be made available for use in accordance with the regulations of the University Library for the time being in force, subject to any copyright vested in the work not being affected thereby. I also understand that the title and the abstract will be published, and that a copy of the work may be made and supplied to any bona fide library or research worker, that my thesis will be electronically accessible for personal or research use unless exempt by award of an embargo as requested below, and that the library has the right to migrate my thesis into new electronic forms as required to ensure continued access to the thesis. I have obtained any third-party copyright permissions that may be required in order to allow such access and migration, or have requested the appropriate embargo below. The following is an agreed request by candidate and supervisor regarding the electronic publication of this thesis: Access to all of printed copy but embargo all electronic publication of thesis for a period of five years on the following ground: publication would preclude future publication. It is my intention to publish substantial portions of this thesis, and the availability of an electronic copy may hinder any future publication. Date signature of candidate signature of supervisor The English Provincial Book Trade: Bookseller Stock-lists, c.1520-1640 Jennifer Winters This thesis is submitted in fulfilment for the degree of Ph.D. at the University of St Andrews September 2012 Table of Contents VOLUME ONE: Abstract p. 2 Acknowledgments p. 3 Abbreviations p. 5 Editorial Conventions p. 6 ListofTablesandCharts p.7 Map of Provincial Towns in England p. 8 1. Introduction p. 9 2. The Development of the Provincial Book Trade p. 28 3. The Economics of the Provincial Book Trade p. 84 4. The Provincial Book Trade in Perspective p. 104 5. SchoolBooks p.137 6. Specialist Books p. 154 7. Religious Books p. 174 8. Network Connections p. 199 9. Conclusion p.234 Bibliography p. 240 VOLUME TWO: Appendix: The Provincial Stock-lists 2 Abstract The book world of sixteenth-century England was heavily focused on London. London’s publishers wholly dominated the production of books, and with Oxford and Cambridge the booksellers of the capital also played the largest role in the supplying and distribution of books imported from Continental Europe. Nevertheless, by the end of the sixteenth century a considerable network of booksellers had been established in England’s provincial towns. This dissertation uses scattered surviving evidence from book lists and inventories to investigate the development and character of provincial bookselling in the period between 1520 and 1640. It draws on information from most of England’s larger cities, including York, Norwich and Exeter, as well as much smaller places, such as Kirkby Lonsdale and Ormskirk. It demonstrates that, despite the competition from the metropolis, local booksellers played an important role in supplying customers with a considerable range and variety of books, and that these bookshops became larger and more ambitious in their services to customers through this period. The result should be a significant contribution to understanding the book world of early modern England. The dissertation is accompanied by an appendix, listing and identifying the books documented in nine separate lists, each of which, where possible, has been matched to surviving editions. 3 Acknowledgements I am deeply indebted to many people for their assistance and support throughout my Ph.D. studies at the University of St Andrews. I would like to begin by thanking my supervisor, Prof. Andrew Pettegree. It has been an honour to work with him. I am indebted to Prof. Pettegree, for without his advice and guidance this Ph.D. would not have been possible. I am thankful to have benefited from his tremendous knowledge and insight throughout my entire postgraduate career. I would like to thank the members of the Universal Short Title Catalogue project. Thank you for providing me with access to the project database, which was a cornerstone of my research and for their exchange in knowledge and ideas on the European book trade. I would particularly like to thank Graeme Kemp for his assistance in the final hour. I would like to thank the staff at the National Archives in London for granting me access to all of their materials, including those being repaired or not normally seen by the public. A portion of my research was dependent upon their kindness and understanding. Thank you to the staff at the British Library for their assistance and always having materials ready for me. I would also like to thank all the local records offices for their friendliness and interest in my research. Finally, I wish to extend my gratitude to a number of personal acquaintances. I would like to thank Colin Hopper, whose history class and encouragement inspired me to become a historian. To my friends for always listening to me and putting up with me when I was at my worst. Thank you for your humour, love, optimism and support that saw me through the difficult times. 4 I would like to thank my family. I would like to extend a heart-felt thank you to my brother, Justin, whose mathematical, statistical and technological expertise was invaluable. Thank you to my mother-in-law Mary Winters for her generosity and unwavering support. Finally, I would like to thank Kevin, my husband and proofreader. He is my rock and without his patience, sacrifice and unconditional love, this Ph.D. would not be possible. I dedicate this thesis to him with all my love. 5 Abbreviations Arber Edward Arber (ed.), A Transcript of the Registers of the Company of Stationers of London 1554-1640 A.D., Vols. I- V (London, 1875-1894). BL British Library CL Cambridge Libraries EEBO Early English Books Online Maunsell Andrew Maunsell, The Catalogue of English Printed Bookes (2 vols; London, 1595). OL Oxford Libraries USTC Universal Short Title Catalogue 6 Editorial Conventions In this thesis, the topic of cost and price is routinely discussed. I have chosen to keep the monetary values in the old form of British money: pence (d.), shilling (s.) and pound (£). In this monetary system, twelve pence are equal to one shilling, twenty shillings are equal to one pound, and 240 pence are equal to one pound. In quotations from original documents, original spelling has been used with the exception of ‘i’/‘j’ and ‘u’/‘v’ which have been modernized. 7 List of Tables and Charts Provincial Bookseller Stock-lists p. 19 USTC Subject Categories p. 23 Distribution of Subjects in Neville Mores’s Shop p. 33 Distribution of Subjects in Robert Scott’s Shop p. 43 Book Sizes in Robert Scott’s Shop p. 45 Distribution of Subjects in Roger Ward’s Shop p. 56 Distribution of Subjects in Christopher Hunt’s Shop p. 62 Distribution of Subjects in Michael Harte’s Shop p. 67 Distribution of Subjects in John Foster’s Shop p. 72 John Foster’s Debtors p. 73 BookSizesinJohnFoster’sShop p.75 English Stock in Provincial Bookshops p. 80 Roads and Waterways in England p. 93 Language Distribution in the Shops of Ward, p. 123 Bynneman and Sheres Shop Comparison: Harte (1615) and Foster (1616) p. 125 Shop Comparison: J. Foster (1616) and p. 144 M. Foster (1644) Grammar School Enrolment p. 140 Vernacular Editions of Cicero and Ovid p. 153 Printing of Medical Books in Europe p. 157 ReligiousStockinProvincialBookshops p.176 8 Map of Provincial Towns in England 9 I. Introduction In today’s world, where the internet is supplanting print as the popular medium of communication, there has been renewed interest in the development of print and the European book trade. In the early sixteenth century, print came into its own, becoming distinct from the book’s manuscript origins. Over the course of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the book transitioned from an item of luxury to a generally attainable commodity. During these tumultuous centuries, print both inspired dissent and served to enforce the status quo, and it became an effective tool to convey the message of the Reformation.1 Though scholars have studied the book since the Renaissance, interest in the history of the book as its own distinct field is a more recent development.