The first and second volumes of Chronicles

Title

The first and second volumes of Chronicles

Alternative Title

Full title: The first and second volumes of Chronicles : comprising 1. The description and historie of England, 2. The description and historie of Ireland, 3. The description and historie of Scotland / first collected and published by Raphaell Holinshed, William Harrison and others ; now newlie augmented and continued ... to the yeare 1586 by John Hooker ... and others ; with convenient tables at the end of these volumes.

Creator

Raphael Holinshed, -1580?

Publisher

At London : Printed in Aldersgate Street at the signe of the Starre

Date

[by H. Denham, 1587]

Format

3 v. in 2 (Vol. 1: [10], 250; [4], 202, [2] pages ; vol. 2: 61, [13], 183, [1]; 464 [i.e. 456], [56] pages ; vol. 3:[8], 1080, 1080-1327, [2], 1332-1371, 1371-1421, 1490-1491, 1536-1555, 1574-1592, [i.e. 1491], [60] pages) ; 37 cm. (fol.)

Description

Compiled by Holinshed, William Harrison, and Richard Stanyhurst. Edited by John Hooker, who continued the work to 1586, with the assistance of Francis Thynne on the Scottish continuations, and with Thynne, Abraham Fleming and John Stow on the other portions of the book.

Place of publication from colophon. Printer from STC. Also at colophon: "Finished in Ianuarie 1587 ... at the expenses of Iohn Harison, George Bishop, Rafe Newberie, Henrie Denham, and Thomas Woodcocke."

Vol. 1: "The historie of England" has separate title page, pagination, and register. Vol. 2 has title "The second volume of chronicles: ..."; "The Irish historie composed and written by Giraldus Cambrensis, and translated into English ... by Iohn Hooker" has separate title page and pagination; p. 61 of the previous section is printed on A1; the "Irish historie" title page is a singleton, usually bound between A1 and A2. "The description of Scotland, written at the first by Hector Boetius in Latine, and afterward translated into the Scotish speech by Iohn Bellenden, ... and now finallie into English by R.H. ..." has separate pagination, register, and title page dated 1585. Within this series, "The historie of Scotland" has separate title page dated 1585.

Titlepage of vol. 3 reads: The third volume of Chronicles, beginning at duke William the Norman, commonlie called the Conqueror; and descending by degrees of yeeres to all the kings and queenes of England in their orderlie successions: first compiled by Raphaell Holinshed, an by him extended to the yeare 1577. Now newlie recognised, augmented, and continued (with occurrences and accidents of fresh memorie) to the yeare 1586. Wherein also are conteined manie matters of singular discourse and rare obseruation, fruitfull to such as be studious in antiquities, or take pleasure in the grounds of ancient histories. With a third table (peculiarlie seruing this third volume) both of names and matters memorable.

In this edition (1587) the freedom with which contemporary events were treated led the Privy Council to order extensive excisions immediately after publication. Vol. 2: 2Q3-4 are cancelled by a leaf paginated 421 (recto) and 424 (verso); 2R3-4 are cancelled by a leaf paginated 438/431; 2S2-5 are cancelled by two leaves paginated 443/444 and 445/450. Vol. 3: 6M3-4 are cancelled by a leaf paginated 1328/1330; quires 6V-7I are cancelled by four leaves paginated 1419/1420, 1421/1490, 1491/1536, and 1537/1538; quires 7L-7M are cancelled by three leaves paginated 1551/1552, 1553/1554, 1555/1574. The cancelled leaves were reprinted three times in the eighteenth century; for general descriptions of these see "The Library", ser. 5, XII (1958), p. 120-4. There may be undocumented eighteenth-century reprints of quire 7K; see "Huntington Library Quarterly", Fall 1992, p. 569 (concerning Huntington copy 61510).

The first leaf and the last leaf of vol. 1, the last leaf of vol. 2, the leaf preceding the index in vol. 3 (leaf 7O4), and the last leaf of vol. 3 are blank.

Includes index.

Provenance

QUL copy lacks initial blank leaf. In volume 2, leaves 2Q3-4 and 2R3-4 are uncanceled; In volume 3, leaves 6M3-4 are uncancelled.

Schulich-Woolf copy contains all cancellations;
QUL copy has "Ex libris Gulielmi Collins" on title page; on the title-page verso are 10 lines of manuscript dated "May the 16th 1636", concerning the keeping of sheep.There are two words [undeciphered] in manuscript at the foot of leaf 2N3r in volume 2.

Schulich-Woolf copy signed by "Tho. Baker, Coll. Jo. Societus ejectus" on t.p of v.3 and extensive notes in same hand on front endpapers of v. 3, as well as marginalia on cancellantia explaining what was excised from the "perfect copy"; underlinings; legal inscription (partially effaced) regarding one Thomas Nicholson, Junior, dated 1677, on rear fly-leaf of v.3.

Contributor

Thynne, Francis, 1545?-1608.
Fleming, Abraham, 1552?-1607.
Stanyhurst, Richard, 1547-1618.
Stow, John, 1525?-1605.
Hooker, John, 1526?-1601.
Harrison, William, 1534-1593.
Denham, Henry, -1589? printer.
Baker, Thomas, 1656-1740, former owner.
Schulich, Seymour, former owner.
Schulich-Woolf Collection.

Language

English

Identifier

Dated 1587 .H7 folio
English Short-Tile Catalog, S122178
STC (2nd ed.) 13569

Files

Dated 1587 H7 folio.jpg

Collection

Citation

Raphael Holinshed, -1580?, “The first and second volumes of Chronicles,” Schulich-Woolf Rare Book Collection, accessed March 29, 2024, https://schulichwoolf.omeka.net/items/show/174.