In Praise of Scribes: Manuscripts and their Makers in Seventeenth-Century England(Lyell Lectures in Bibliography)

In Praise of Scribes is a major contribution to the field of manuscript studies in the late sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. This profusely illustrated book argues for the significant role played by clerks and scriveners both in contemporary society and in the transmissional history of literary texts. Specific case studies are offered of a remarkably industrious contributor to the ferment of ideas leading to the Civil War (the so-called 'Feathery Scribe'), as well as of the notorious 'Captain' Robert Julian in the Restoration period. Other case studies exemplify the wide-ranging empirical use which is to be made of material texts, and shed new light on works by Sir Philip Sidney, John Donne, and Katherine Philips, writers who flourished in a manuscript culture. The book explores questions about the nature of that culture vis à vis print culture, about constructions of authorship, and about the complex nature of texts themselves in an evolving society and changing readership.

Table of Contents:
List of Illustrations List of Abbreviations 1: In praise of scribes 2: `It shall not therefore kill itself; that is, not bury itself': Donne's Biathanatos and its text 3: The Feathery Scribe 4: `Hoping they shall only come to your merciful eyes': Sidney's Letter to Queen Elizabeth and its transmission 5: `The virtuous Mrs Philips' and 'that whore Castlemaine': Orinda and her Apotheosis, 1664-1668 Appendix I. Seventeenth-century characters of clerks and scriveners Appendix II. Manuscripts by the Feathery Scribe Appendix III. Catalogue of papers in Ralph Starkey's study Appendix IV. Manuscript texts of Sidney's Letter to Queen Elizabeth Appendix V. Katherine Philips's letter to Lady Fletcher Appendix VI. John Taylor's verse satire on Katherine Philips Index of manuscripts cited Bibliography General Index

About the Author :
Author of the 3-volume Index of English Literary Manuscripts (Bowker and Mansell), which is the scholarly reference book in the field and will be known to every likely purchaser for our book.

Review :
`Both the details and the larger picture that emerges ... make fascinating contributions to our understanding of the practicalities of scribal work.' Paul Hammond, The Library, 7.2.2, June 2001 `Beal, as ever, inspires the reader with his passionate sense of the uniqueness of each manuscript and the excitement of attempting to nest it in its own family of circumstances.' The Year's Work in English Studies, Vol.79 `a stunningly elegant collection of lectures' The Year's Work in English Studies, Vol 79 `nobody has done more to show the importance of the continuing use of manuscripts after the coming of print to England than Peter Beal.' H.R Woudhuysen, Review of English Studies. `Beal is characteristically generous with his knowledge. Each chapter in his densely packed and deeply rewarding book is built around a series of substantial discoveries; his interest in scribes, authors and collectors as real people results in a work full of interesting and engaging information.' H.R. Woudhuysen, Review of English Studies. `in praise of Scribes will serve as an excellent account of how manuscript studies can be put to practical use.' H.R. Woudhuysen, Review of English Studies. `Peter Beal has not been rummaging around in closets, he has been examining primary evidence in great transactions. The primary documents he is used to handling are very valuable, they are subject to suspicion for forgery (it is part of his business to detect the fakes), and their every dot or stain can be valuable ... Beal's research teaches editors and literary and historical scholars to look at everything on the page-errors, abbreviations, marginal material, cross-references, tables of contents and other preliminaries, indices. He teaches us to look always for the exemplar, or the original manuscript from which all others are derived, and he teaches us to look at witnesses, or bits of evidence about authority ... He is also an excellent detective, which is why he is so valuable to Sotheby's as an assessor and so valuable to us as a lucid writer about important little things that most scholars do not think about.' Roy Flannigan, Early Modern Literary Studies, 5.1 May 1999 `This collection of fascinating studies... illuminating... one of the most fascinating aspects of In Praise of Scribes is the sheer wealth of new and hitherto largely unconsidered manuscript versions brought to bear upon long familiar texts. This volume will deservedly come to be regarded as a landmark in the study of manuscript compilation and circulation. This volume will certainly become required reading for all research students concerned with seventeenth-century English literature.' Michael G. Brennan, Notes and Queries Vol.47 No.1 `the case-studies are fascinating ... The book is highly readable, and Beal's decision to retain something of the collquial style of delivery of the lectures thoroughly welcome, as it has the effect of enlivening often technical matters, drawing the reader in to the intricacies of the paleographer's detective world. It is a beautifully produced volume worthy of the scribes it celebrates.' Ian W Archer, Archives