:John Shirley: Book Production and the Noble Household in Fifteenth-Century England

Abstract

John Shirley's importance as a scribe of late fourteenth and early fifteenth-century vernacular literature (in particular the works of Chaucer and Lydgate) has been well documented. In this survey, the author makes a thorough examination of all extant documents relating to Shirley's life and scrutinizes the physical characteristics of his manuscripts. The book concludes that there is no evidence to suggest that Shirley acted as a bookseller, but plenty to indicate that he lent his books extensively.