An essential companion to all Shakespeare studies, this consists of three hundred and forty one original documents from the late 16th and early 17th century. It includes:
- Sources of Shakespeare’s plays
- Newspapers and broadsheets
- Contemporary pamphlets
- Personal documents and certificates
- First folio editions of the plays
- Details of the theatres
Also included is an internal guide to the documents and their significance by Professor Sam Schoenbaum, one of the greatest and most respected Shakespeare scholars.
For English students, there are items of interest throughout: background and sources of the plays; comparative work by contemporary writers: Shakespeare’s social and intellectual milieu. A treasure-trove of important materials. Available on approval.
Fully interactive digital format & booklet
Reference: CDS1
Contents
| Section | Document |
| Prologue: The Life | William Shakespeare Christened |
| John Shakespeare Elected Bailiff | |
| Marriage Entry for Shakespeare and Anne Whateley | |
| Marriage Bond for Shakespeare and Anne Whateley | |
| Hamnet and Judith Shakespeare Christened | |
| Greenes Groats-Worth of wit | |
| H Chettle; Kind Hartes Dreame | |
| Hamnet Shakespeare Buried | |
| The Grant of Arms to John Shakespeare | |
| Shakespeare Buys New Place from Underhill | |
| Richard Quiney’s Letter to Shakespeare | |
| John Shakespeare Buried | |
| Shakespeare Buys arable land in old Stratford | |
| Royal Patent for the King’s Men | |
| Shakespeare Acted At Court: The Revels Account | |
| Susanna Shakespeare Married to John Hall | |
| Mary Shakespeare Buried | |
| Shakespeare’s deposition in the Bellott-Mountjoy suit | |
| Judith Shakespeare Married to Thomas Quiney | |
| Shakespeare’s Will | |
| William Shakespeare Buried | |
| The Shakespeare monument, Holy Trinity Church | |
| Anne Shakespeare Buried | |
| John Aubrey’s Brief Life of Shakespeare | |
| Nicholas Rowe; “Some Account of the… Shakespeare” | |
| Shakespeare’s Theatre | Claes Jansz Visscher: View of London |
| Augustine Ryther: The Cittie of London | |
| Johannes de Witt: Sketch of Swan Theatre | |
| William Alabaster: Roxanna Tragaedia | |
| Nathaniel Richards: The tragedy of Messalina | |
| William Kemp: Kemp’s nine daies wonder | |
| Robert Armin: The two maids of More-clacke | |
| George Wilkins? Adventures of Pericles | |
| John Lyly: Sapho and Phao | |
| Christopher Marlowe: Tamburlaine the great | |
| Christopher Marlowe: Edward the second | |
| Anon Comedie of Mucedorus | |
| Beaumont and Fletcher: Phylaster, Or Love lies a Bleeding | |
| The workes of Ben Jonson | |
| Ben Jonson: Volpone or The Foxe | |
| John Webster: The white devil | |
| Anon: The Returne from Pernassus | |
| Middleton: A Chaste Maid in Cheapside | |
| Middleton: Women Beware Women | |
| George Chapman: Bussy D’Ambois | |
| Heywood: A Woman killed with kindness | |
| Ben Jonson: Sejanus | |
| Thomas Lodge: Protogenes… etc | |
| S. Gosson: Playes Confuted in fiue Actions | |
| Sir Philip Sidney: An apologie for poetrie | |
| Thomas Heywood: An Apology for Actors | |
| Greene(?): Refutation of the Apology for Actors | |
| The Social, Political and Literary Environment in his time | Sir T. Smith: Commonwealth of England… 1589 |
| Glover: Nobilitas politica et civilis. 1608 | |
| Vowell: duties of officers in Exeter. 1584 | |
| Lambard: Eirenarcha… Justices of Peace. 1602 | |
| Lambard: The Duties of Constables… 1602 | |
| Harrison: Description of Britain… 1587 | |
| Speed’s map of the County of Warwick. 1610 | |
| Stow: A Survey of London. 1598 | |
| Stow: The annals of England… to 1592 | |
| The Commentaries of Sir Francis Vere. 1657 | |
| Sir W. Raleigh: History Of The World. 1614 | |
| R. Hakluyt: Principal Navigations… 1598 – 1600 | |
| S. Jourdan: Discovery of the Barmudas. 1610 | |
| Royal Proclamation On foreign gold coin. 1565 | |
| Proclamation on the treaty with Spain. 1566 | |
| Proclamation… against unlawful books. 1568 | |
| Proclamation against the Earl of Northumberland, etc. 1569 | |
| By the Queene. Proclamation against vagabonds. 1576 | |
| By the Queene. Proclamation against buying up wool. 1579 | |
| Proclamation against the Sectaries of the Family of love. 1580 | |
| Proclamation To denounce Jesuit traitors. 1582 | |
| Privy Council Order for Posts between London and Scotland. 1584 | |
| Report of the treason of Throckmorton. 1584 | |
| Aid to the Low Countries. 1585 | |
| Report of the… Earl of Northumberland’s Treason. 1585 | |
| Proclamation against the Sowing of woade. 1585 | |
| Orders from the Vice-admirals. 1586 | |
| The Queen’s dealings with Marsden and Anderton 1586 | |
| Royal Proclamation of the sentence on Mary, Queen of Scots. 1586 | |
| Letter to the Earl of Leicester 1586 | |
| Declaration… against ‘excesse of Apparel’ 1587 | |
| A Proclamation against… Rome. 1588 | |
| Proclamation on food prices. 1588 | |
| The Pope’s sentence on Elizabeth. 1588 | |
| Map of the Spanish Armada. 1588 | |
| Proclamation on soldiers serving under… Drake. 1589 | |
| Change of statute for clothing. 1589 | |
| Orders on cloth manufacture. 1590 | |
| Proclamation against poor sanitation. 1590 | |
| Instructions for Musters. 1590 | |
| Entertainment given to the Queen at Elvetham. 1591 | |
| Proclamation against beggars and vagabonds. 1592 | |
| Proclamation for the surrender of Spanish goods. 1592 | |
| Proclamation to restrain access to the Court. 1593 | |
| Report of a conspiracy to poison the Queen. 1594 | |
| Proclamation against unlawful meetings. 1595 | |
| Proclamation against supplies to Spain. 1597 | |
| Proclamation to send an army to Ireland. 1599 | |
| Report of the capture of the Earl of Essex, etc. 1601 | |
| The Queen’s last speech to Parliament. 1601 | |
| King James’ arrival in England. 1604 | |
| Declaration of James’ right to the throne. 1603 | |
| Proclamation to unite England and Scotland. 1603 | |
| Proclamation against overcrowding. 1603 | |
| Gunpowder Plot. The search for T Percy. 1605 | |
| Proclamation denouncing Percy etc. 1605 | |
| Proclamation to search for Winter and Littleton. 1605 | |
| Gunpowder Plot: Extending the search outside England. 1605 | |
| Proclamation to apprehend J. Gerrard and others. 1605 | |
| Proclamation against enclosure riots. 1607 | |
| Another Proclamation against enclosure riots. 1607 | |
| A Proclamation concerning Starch. 1607 | |
| Proclamation to remedy food shortages. 1608 | |
| Proclamation against making of Starch. 1608 | |
| Proclamation for Buildings. 1608 | |
| Proclamation against Recusants. 1610 | |
| Proclamation to prohibit duels 1613 | |
| By the King. A Proclamation concerning The King’s Evil | |
| Articles of the Church of England. 1562 | |
| Homily against disobedience. 1570 | |
| A short introduction of grammar. 1572 – 1573 | |
| T. Wilson: The Arte of Rhetorique. 1553 | |
| F. Meres: Palladis Tamia. 1598 | |
| Ovid: Metamorphosis, by A. Golding. 1567 | |
| Terence: The Brothers, by R Bernard. 1598 | |
| Seneca: Thyestes, in English. 1581 | |
| Erasmus: The Praise of Folly. 1549 | |
| J. Lyly: Euphues and his England. 1580 | |
| R. Greene: Discovery of Coosenage. 1591 | |
| Vincentio Saviolo: His Practise. 1595 | |
| F. Bacon: Advancement of Learning. 1605 | |
| T. Dekker: The guls horne-booke. 1609 | |
| Three Ballads. 1588 | |
| H. Howard: Songs and Sonets. 1574 | |
| T. Watson: Superius… Italian Madrigals. 1590 | |
| Dr. J. Wilson: Chereful Ayres or Ballads. 1660 | |
| Dowland: Songs of Airs… 1597 | |
| Cartari: Fountain of ancient fiction… 1599 | |
| Cartari: Le Imagini… (illustrations only). 1590 | |
| Frellonz Simolachri: histoire. 1549 | |
| Whitney: A choice of emblems. 1586 | |
| Bartholomaeus: Batman upon… 1582 | |
| King James I: Daemonology… 1597 | |
| Castiglione: The Courtier, Translated by T. Hoby. 1561 | |
| Elyot: The Governor. 1531 | |
| Gentillet: Discourse… against Machiavelli. 1602 | |
| de Montaigne: Essays. Translated by J. Florio. 1603 | |
| Sir J. Davies: Nosce teipsum. 1599 | |
| G. Gascoigne: The Drum of Doomsday. 1576 | |
| Shakespeare’s Sources | Raphael Holinshed: Chronicles Volume III. 1587 |
| W. Baldwin: Mirror for Magistrates. 1559 | |
| Arthur Broke: Romeus and Juliet. 1562 | |
| Thomas Lodge: Rosalynde. 1592 | |
| Plutarch: Lives of the Grecians and Romans. 1579 | |
| The Hystorie of Hamblet. 1608 | |
| King Leir and his three daughters. 1605 | |
| R. Greene: Pandosto, The triumph of time. 1607 | |
| The Text of Shakespeare | Venus and Adonis. 1593 Quarto |
| The Rape of Lucrece. 1594 | |
| Shakespeare’s Sonnets. 1609 | |
| …Richard, Duke of York. 1595 | |
| Richard II. 1597 | |
| Richard II (title page). 1598. Second Quarto | |
| Richard II. 1608 Fourth Quarto | |
| Hamlet. 1604 – 1605. Second Quarto | |
| Pericles. 1609 Quarto | |
| The Two Noble Kinsmen. 1634 |