Henry Herringman and the Book Trade in Late-Stuart England

Roger Boyle, Earl of Orrery, A treatise of the art of war: dedicated to the Kings most excellent Majesty … (London, 1677). Frontispiece depicting King Charles II on horseback.

Overview

The Edward Worth Library’s collection includes eighteen texts published or sold by Henry Herringman (1628–1704), a bookseller in England during the Restoration and late-Stuart period. Nearly half of these texts are collected editions of English poetry and drama from the later part of Herringman’s career. As the main seller of belles-lettres, poetry, and drama during this period, the texts that Herringman published shaped the Restoration literary canon. Hammond argues: ‘Two booksellers were particularly significant in shaping the canon of earlier poetry and drama during the Restoration period, and in adding to this the work of select contemporary writers: the lists of Henry Herringman and Jacob Tonson are in themselves almost a late seventeenth-century canon’.^[2]The inclusion of these texts in the Worth Library collection attests to the reception and readership of Herringman’s authors and their works, and their lasting legacies.

Introduction

The seventeenth century was a time of profound transformation in England, marked by political upheaval and civil war, shifting cultural values, and evolving literary tastes. During the mid-seventeenth century, England experienced the English Civil War (1642–51), a conflict between Royalists and Parliamentarians that culminated in the execution of King Charles I (1600–49) in 1649 and the establishment of the Commonwealth under Oliver Cromwell (1599–1658). This period brought the suppression of theatre and censorship of literature, as Puritanical governance sought to control cultural expression. Authors like Sir John Suckling (bap. 1609, d. 1641?) and Abraham Cowley (1618–67), whose works Herringman later published, were royalist sympathizers who mourned the loss of aristocratic and monarchical traditions. The Restoration of Charles II (1630–85) in 1660 brought with it the restoration of culture and the arts. Theatres reopened, the monarchy resumed its role as a patron of the arts, and literary production was revived. This era celebrated wit and elegance, as seen in the works of Samuel Butler (bap. 1613, d. 1680), Sir William Davenant (1606–68), and Edmund Waller (1606–87). The reopening of theatres and the popularity of drama also revived interest in earlier playwrights like Francis Beaumont (1584/5–1616), John Fletcher (1579–1625), and Ben Jonson (1572–1637).

Abraham Bosse, The workshop of a printer; worker inking the plate on the left another wiping a plate, the third printing it on a rolling press (Paris, 1642). Etching. Courtesy of the Trustees of the British Museum.

Early Life

Herringman was born in Carshalton, Surrey and baptized on 14 March 1628, during the reign of King Charles I.[3] His father was John Herringman, a yeoman; little is known about his mother, whose name may have been Margaret. In September 1653, he married Alice Abel at the church of St Dunstan-in-the-West in London. There are discrepancies in details pertaining to Herringman’s family; one biography states that Herringman and his wife had five daughters and four sons.^[4] Another biographer, however, writes that that Herringman had one child: a daughter named Elizabeth, who died during childbirth at the age of nineteen.^[5]

Before his death in 1704, Herringman named his kinsman, John Herringman, his principal heir. According to his will, John would inherit Herringman’s books and copies—with the stipulation that he must first complete a seven-year apprenticeship with a bookseller.^[6] Despite Herringman’s seeming desire to have his publishing business continued by his family, John Herringman did not pursue a career in the book trade; he instead became warden of the Carshalton parish church. Many of Herringman’s copies were thus acquired by Jacob Tonson (1655/6–1736), who continued Herringman’s publishing legacy. For more information about Jacob Tonson and his publishing career, please visit the Worth Library’s small exhibition: ‘Publishing Paradise: The Rise of Jacob Tonson’.

Coat of Arms of the Stationers’ Company, London. Courtesy of The Heraldry Society.

Early Career

In August 1644, Herringman began an apprenticeship with Abel Roper, a London bookseller. He worked under Roper for eight years, until 1652. The beginning of Herringman’s independent professional career coincides with the death of the London bookseller John Holden. Holden owned a bookstore called the Blue Anchor, located in the Strand at the New Exchange in London. There, he published works by several important authors of the time, such as Cowley and Davenant.^[7]

Following Holden’s death in May 1652, Herringman took over business at the Blue Anchor, keeping the store’s name and purchasing Holden’s stock.^[8] From there, he began accumulating his own copyrights. Early in his career, he became associated with Humphrey Moseley (bap. 1604, d. 1661), an established publisher. Herringman and Moseley were collaborators and published several works together. After Moseley’s death in 1661, Herringman purchased several copyrights from Moseley’s heirs, his wife and daughter.[9] This acquisition included some of Herringman’s most profitable copyrights and authors, providing a strong foundation for his career.

During the first fourteen years of his career, from 1653 to 1666, Herringman developed his trade and business. His first imprint was an English translation of Horace’s poems, Lyrics, published in 1653. The same year, Herringman had his first entry into the Stationers’ Register: Sir Kenelm Digby’s translation of A Treatise of Adhering to God, written by Albertus Magnus. Following these texts, Herringman published a variety of genres, including theology, history, and science. During the early part of his career, Herringman ‘was publishing almost anything which he thought the better-educated Londoners frequenting the Strand would buy’; Worth’s collection reflects this variety.^[10]

Roger Boyle, Earl of Orrery, A treatise of the art of war: dedicated to the Kings most excellent Majesty … (London, 1677). Title page, featuring the signature of John Worth (1648–88).

In addition to poetry and drama, the Worths collected several historical and theological texts that were printed for, and sold by, Herringman. One such text is: A treatise of the art of war: dedicated to the Kings most excellent Majesty … by Roger Boyle, Earl of Orrery (1621–79). Boyle was a prominent figure in seventeenth-century politics, literature, and military affairs.[11] He was a royalist who served under Charles I and Charles II and was involved in the tumultuous events of the English Civil War and Restoration. As a statesman, playwright, and military leader, he demonstrated the interdisciplinary interests of the Restoration elite.

Boyle’s Treatise of the art of war, dedicated to Charles II, provides insights into military strategy and tactics, reflecting his experience in military service and his role in shaping Restoration-era governance and politics. The text exemplifies the diversity in Herringman’s publications and demonstrates his efforts to engage with contemporary discourses beyond poetry and drama.

The treatise bears the imprint ‘In the Savoy’, referring to a building in the Strand across from the New Exchange.^[12] From late 1666 until 1688, the King’s Printing Press was located in the Savoy. Texts that bore its imprint during this period were attributed exclusively to Thomas Newcombe (1625×7–81), with the help of his son, Thomas Newcombe, Jr (bap. 1651, d. 1691).^[13] Several of Herringman’s texts in the Worth collection—notably, the theological and historical texts—were printed by Thomas Newcombe and include the Savoy imprint. Herringman held a share in the King’s Printing House during this period and regularly partnered with Newcombe to print his texts.^[14]

Middle Career

Anon., The Great Fire of London. Oil on panel. Courtesy of London Museum.

From 1667 to 1678, Herringman’s bookstore and career flourished. During this period, he ‘gained first position as publisher of plays and verse’.^[15] His success during this decade is attributed to three political and social factors.[16] The first factor is the death of Herringman’s predecessor and collaborator, Humphrey Moseley, in 1661. Following his death, Herringman purchased several copyrights from Moseley’s estate. He secured many significant works and authors through this acquisition, including the poems of Cowley, Waller, Suckling, Sir John Denham (1614/15–69), Richard Crashaw (1612/13–48), and John Donne (1572–1631), and select plays by Davenant and Jonson.^[17] Herringman’s advantages were furthered by the Great Fire of London. Beginning on Sunday, 2 September 1666, the fire continued for four days before it was extinguished. It caused widespread damage across London and had a significant impact on the book trade. Samuel Pepys (1633–1703), a diarist and official of the English Navy, described the consequences of the fire for his bookseller at the time, Mr. Kirton:

‘Mr. Kirton’s kinsman, my bookseller, come in my way; and so I am told by him that Mr. Kirton is utterly undone … He do believe there is above; £50,000 of books burned; all the great booksellers almost undone: not only these, but their warehouses at their Hall, and under Christchurch, and elsewhere being all burned. A great want thereof there will be of books, specially Latin books and foreign books; and, among others, the Polyglottes and new Bible, which he believes will be presently worth £40 a-piece’.^[18]

Kirton’s business, like the businesses of many other booksellers at the time, was ‘utterly undone’ by the destruction caused by the Great Fire. After September 1666, Pepys’ only other mention of Kirton is to note his death in 1667.[19] Following the fire, Herringman became his new bookseller. While many of Herringman’s competitors faced significant losses from the fire, the Blue Anchor evaded destruction. In the aftermath, he was able to fill the gap in the book trade while other booksellers were recovering. This increased the number of customers and sales at his shop, securing his place in the bookselling scene.

John Harris, View of the front of the new Exchange, or Britain’s Bourse, in the Strand (c. 1715). Etching and engraving. Courtesy of the Trustees of the British Museum.

The location of the Blue Anchor on the New Exchange in the Strand not only saved the store from the path of the London fires, but also positioned Herringman in an area that would become London’s fashion mart. The Londoners who frequented this area were described as part of London’s ‘prodigal society’.^[20] This audience was interested in poetry and drama, and Herringman catered to, and provided for, these tastes. Restoration of the monarchy in 1660, and King Charles II to the throne, reinstated freedoms for the arts, including theatre and literature. Poetry and drama from the Civil War period, as well as new works, were selectively reprinted during the Restoration. As a seller of belles-lettres, or ‘fine writing’, Herringman benefited from the revival of theatre and poetry. In 1668, he was responsible for 6% of book production and sales—the largest percentage of any active booksellers at this time.[21] Herringman’s prominence during this period gave him a significant role in shaping the English poetic and dramatic literary canon.

Late Career

From 1679 to 1699, Herringman concentrated on wholesale publication and republishing. His catalogue largely consisted of poetry and plays that he already had copyrights for, as well as collected editions. These volumes of collected works—which included republished poetry and drama accompanied by new works, added prologues and epilogues, or other paratextual materials—increased popularity and readership of Herringman’s authors. His publishing model considered and responded to audience demand for these authors’ works; at the same time, it generated further demand and promoted the purchase of new editions through notes to the readers, epigraphs, and advertisements. By republishing and increasing readership and circulation of their works, Herringman helped to create ‘a highly visible and prestigious authorial canon’.^[22]

Herringman’s Authors & Collections

The majority of Herringman’s books in the Worth Library collection were published during the latter part of his career. These texts include seven later or collected editions by prominent authors popular during the Restoration period: Beaumont & Fletcher, Butler, Cowley, Davenant, Jonson, Suckling, and Waller. During the Restoration, poets, dramatists, and their printers and booksellers worked together in tight communities, with booksellers like Herringman ‘among [their] most densely connected participants’.^[23] These literary communities were crucial in the success of both their authors and their booksellers. The authors Herringman published often shared overlapping networks, collaborating on their works, partnering to produce plays, and writing epigraphs dedicated to each other. Herringman’s success as a bookseller and publisher depended on his ability to cultivate relationships with, and among, his authors. He worked closely with them to ensure their works were presented in ways that appealed to contemporary readers. For deceased authors, he relied on their reputations and sought to contextualize their works for the modern audience. His posthumous editions were instrumental in preserving and promoting their works and securing their literary legacies.

Waller

Edmund Waller, Poems, &c. Written upon several occasions, and to several persons: by Edmond Waller, Esq. (London, 1682). Frontispiece portrait of Waller and title page featuring the signature of John Worth.

John Worth (1648–88) and his son, Edward Worth (1676–1733), collected several significant volumes of drama and poetry from this period. One such volume is: Poems, &c. Written upon several occasions by Edmund Waller. Waller’s style and royalist political allegiances made him a favorite among Restoration audiences, and his poems were widely read during the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries.^[24] His verse often celebrated the monarchy, making him an ideal poet for a society seeking stability and refinement after decades of turmoil. The publication of collected editions of his works contributed to his continued popularity in Restoration salons.

Beaumont and Fletcher

Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher, Fifty comedies and tragedies. Written by Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher, Gentlemen … (London, 1679). Contents page, Sig. A4v.

Fifty comedies and tragedies is a collection of works written by Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher. Beaumont and Fletcher were dramatists whose collaborative works dominated Jacobean and Caroline theatre.^[25] Their plays, including ‘The Maid’s Tragedy’ and ‘Philaster’, explored themes of love, honour, and betrayal, often with both tragic and comedic elements. By the Restoration period, their works were highly regarded. Herringman’s folio compiling fifty of their works ensured their popularity and continued readership.

Beaumont and Fletcher’s folio exemplifies the collaborative nature of the book trade during this period. To produce such a large collection, Herringman partnered with two other booksellers: John Martyn (1617/18–80) and Richard Marriot. Herringman often collaborated with fellow booksellers to share the financial and logistical burdens of publishing large volumes. These collaborations demonstrate booksellers’ networks, which allowed booksellers to share resources to successfully produce, and profit from, costly folios and collected works. Preceding Fifty comedies and tragedies, Herringman, Marriot, and Martyn co-signed a note, ‘The Book-sellers to the Reader’. Their letter discusses the positive reception of the first volume of Beaumont and Fletcher’s works, which encouraged them to publish the second edition. In the note, they stress the efforts they took to ensure the correctness of the volume:

‘We were very opportunely informed of a Copy which an ingenious and worthy Gentleman had taken the pains (or rather the pleasure) to read over; wherein he had all along Corrected several faults (some very gross) which had crept in by the frequent printing of them. His corrections were the more to be valued, because he had an intimacy with both our Authors’.[26]

Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher, Fifty comedies and tragedies. Written by Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher, Gentlemen … (London, 1679). Booksellers to the Reader, Sig. A1r.

Along with these corrections, the booksellers emphasize the additions that were made to this collection, including prologues, epilogues, prefixes to the plays (with character lists), and seventeen new plays. They note there were no prefixes included in the first version, but due to audience demand, they were included in the second edition. Their letter insists on the quality and correctness of the text, its fulfilment of reader’s demands, and assures that the folio includes numerous worthwhile additions.

Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher, Fifty comedies and tragedies. Written by Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher, Gentlemen … (London, 1679). Epigraphs, Sig. A2r (detail).

While booksellers collaborated to ensure mutual success in their endeavors, they also fostered networks between their authors. For example, Fifty comedies and tragedies includes epigraphs by Waller and Jonson preceding the collection. In his epigraph, Jonson praises Beaumont’s writing: “How I do love thee BEAUMONT, and thy Muse, / That unto me do’st such religion use! / How I do fear myself, that am not worth / The least indulgent thought thy pen drops forth!’.[27] Jonson’s poem endorses Beaumont’s work and attests to his ability as a writer, encouraging audiences to read and agree. His commendatory poem demonstrates the professional relationship and network between the authors that Herringman published.

Jonson

Ben Jonson, The works of Ben Jonson, which were formerly printed in two volumes, are now reprinted in one … (London, 1692). Frontispiece portrait of Jonson and title page.

In the ‘Letter to the Reader from the Book-sellers’ from Fifty comedies and tragedies, Herringman, Marriot, and Martyn made a promise to their readers: if the Beaumont and Fletcher folio was well-received, they would print Jonson’s works in one collected volume. The booksellers kept their word, printing a 1692 collection: The works of Ben Jonson. The presence of both Beaumont & Fletcher’s and Jonson’s collected works in the Worth Library serves as a testament to their demand and positive reception, which Herringman capitalized on and responded to.

Ben Jonson was a significant figure in early modern literature; his works were considered essential reading for Restoration audiences, who admired his moral insights and linguistic precision.^[28] Jonson served as an example and mentor for Beaumont. Herringman’s collection of his works includes three epigraphs written by Beaumont. Their epigraphs in each other’s collected volumes demonstrates the mutual support and success of Herringman’s authors.

Ben Jonson, The works of Ben Jonson, which were formerly printed in two volumes, are now reprinted in one … (London, 1692). Epigraph, Sig. A4v (detail).

Beaumont commends three of Jonson’s works: ‘Fox’, ‘Silent Woman’, and ‘Catiline’. In his epigraph for ‘Fox’, Beaumont applauds Jonson’s growing fame and reputation, believing that ‘All sorts should equally approve the wit’ of his works.[29] Jonson and Beaumont’s relationship demonstrates an authorial network that Herringman’s bookselling and publishing business emphasized. By promoting each other’s works, Beaumont and Jonson helped to build their reputation and readership. This relationship was later highlighted by Herringman, whose business benefited from his authors’ combined popularity and success.

Cowley

The Blue Anchor became a site of literary news and conversation, contributing to Herringman’s networks and promotion of texts. During a two-year period, 1667 to 1669, Pepys references Herringman and his store in eleven of his diary entries. In his entry from 10 August 1667, he shares literary gossip from a visit to Herringman’s shop—including the death of Abraham Cowley.

‘After dinner I to the office, and there wrote as long as my eyes would give me leave, and then abroad and to the New Exchange, to the bookseller’s there, where I hear of several new books coming out — Mr. Spratt’s History of the Royal Society, and Mrs. Phillips’s poems. Sir John Denham’s poems are going to be all printed together; and, among others, some new things; and among them he showed me a copy of verses of his upon Sir John Minnes’s going heretofore to Bullogne to eat a pig. Cowley, he tells me, is dead; who, it seems, was a mighty civil, serious man; which I did not know before’.[30]

Abraham Cowley, The Second and Third Parts of the Works of Mr Abraham Cowley … (London, 1689). Frontispiece depicting the memorial to Abraham Cowley in Poet’s Corner, Westminster Abbey, London.

Abraham Cowley was another prominent literary figure producing poetry and drama during this period. His works are associated with the court, and his religious and political themes were popular among royalist audiences. In 1663, a miscellany volume of poetry, Poems by several persons, appeared in Dublin, including verse by Cowley.^[31] Some of his poems printed in this volume had been previously unpublished; it remains unclear how the Dublin printer obtained these works. In London at this time, Herringman had become Cowley’s new publisher. He responded to the illegitimate printing of Cowley’s verse by securing an English copyright. With this copy, and in collaboration with Cowley, he published a more accurate version of the texts: Verses, lately written upon several occasions. This edition included the amended poems printed in the miscellany volume, as well as new and reprinted odes.

‘There is now printed, by Henry Herringman, a New Edition of the Works of Mr. Abraham Cowley, in Folio, containing all those Pieces of his, which he thoughts worthy to publish to the World in Print. To this Edition there is added some Commendatory Copies of Verses, on the Memory of the Author, by Persons of Honor. And also a Table to the Whole. Never before Printed. Booksellers may have what numbers they please, at Six Shillings per Book Nett …’[32]

Herringman and Cowley’s partnership continued through the later part of their careers. In 1688, Herringman published a posthumous collection of Cowley’s drama and poetry: The Works of Abraham Cowley. An advertisement in the London Gazette from 12 December 1687 announces and promotes this collection of Cowley’s works. The advertisement notes everything included in the volume: the works Cowley ‘thought worthy to publish to the World in Print’ and ‘some Commendatory Copies of Verses, on the Memory of the Author, by Persons of Honour’. These statements assert the importance of both the collection—which the author himself believed should be printed—and Cowley’s merit as an author, through the praise of ‘Persons of Honour’. Herringman’s advertisements helped to ensure successful sales and reception of his authors’ works.

Davenant

Sir William Davenant, The works of Sr William D’avenant Kt consisting of those which were formerly printed, and those which he design’d for the press … (London, 1673). Title page.

As a playwright and poet laureate, Davenant was a significant figure during the Restoration. He is associated with the revival of theatre during this time, and his masques and adaptations of Shakespeare exemplify Restoration audience’s tastes. Davenant worked closely with several of Herringman’s authors, collaborating on productions and commending each other’s works. At the Duke’s Theatre in 1661, Davenant’s company put on a production of Cowley’s Cutter of Coleman-Street, originally titled The Guardian. Cowley and Davenant supported and collaborated with each other in the theatre and in their literary works. Cowley’s epigraph for Gondibert is included in The works of Sr William D’avenant Kt, published by Herringman in 1673. Davenant’s works were also supported by Sir John Suckling, another of Herringman’s authors. The collected edition of Davenant’s works includes multiple epigraphs by Suckling, including:

‘Thou hast redeemed us (Will) and future times, / Shall not account unto the Age’s crimes / Dearth of pure Wit: since the greatest Lord of it / (Donne) parted hence, no man has ever writ / So near him, in’s own way: I would commend / Particulars, but then how should I end / Without a Volume? Ev’re Line of thine / Would ask (to praise it right) Twenty of mine’.[33]

Suckling was a close friend of Davenant, and commends both his play, Madagascar, and his collection of poems. In the epigraph on ‘his other Poems’, he compares Davenant’s poetry to that of John Donne, a poet and Church of England clergyman. By the time of the Restoration, Donne was celebrated as a master of English poetry. By aligning Davenant with Donne, Suckling effectively promotes Davenant as an author of equal merit. His epigraph situates Davenant within a prestigious literary canon alongside Donne and other renowned authors. Herringman participates in the production of this canon by featuring this epigraph and printing Davenant’s collected works.

Suckling

Sir John Suckling, The vvorks of Sir John Suckling, containing all his poems, love-verses, songs, letters, and his tragedies and comedies … (London, 1696). Frontispiece portrait of Suckling and title page.

Herringman published a posthumous volume of Suckling’s works in 1696. Suckling was considered ‘a poet, playwright, and belletrist’ as well as ‘a wit and courtier to Charles I’.^[34] His works exemplified and preserved the spirit of pre-Civil War court culture, and his verse was celebrated during the Restoration period. His texts were widely purchased, circulated, and read both during his lifetime and following his death thanks to the posthumous collections published by both Herringman and Moseley. These publications met the demand for his writing and increased his popularity, helping to establish Suckling as part of the Restoration dramatic and poetic canon.

Butler

Samuel Butler, Hudibras. The first part. Written in the time of the late wars (London, 1694). Title page.

Samuel Butler’s Hudibras was a mock-epic that satirized Puritanism and radical religious factions during the seventeenth century. The work’s humour and commentary made it an immediate success. The text was originally published in three parts, from 1663 to 1678. Herringman’s 1694 collected edition capitalized on the text’s reputation and ensured its place as a hallmark of Restoration satire. Its inclusion in the Worth collection suggests an appreciation for the political and literary significance of Butler’s work, and demonstrates the tastes of Restoration readers, who enjoyed satire and engagement with contemporary politics. Hudibras will be featured in the upcoming Worth Library Book of the Month post for December 2024.

The title page demonstrates Herringman’s move from bookselling to wholesale publication; the text was printed for Henry Herringman but sold by four other booksellers: Richard Bentley, Jacob Tonson, Thomas Bennett, and Francis Saunders. In 1684, Francis Saunders and his partner, Joseph Knight, succeeded Herringman’s business and took over the Blue Anchor.[35] Their partnership dissolved in 1688 when Knight moved to a new storefront.[36] Saunders remained at the Blue Anchor until 1699, where he continued selling works printed for, and published by, Herringman.

Dryden and Shakespeare

There are two notable authors whose collected works (in a Herringman edition) are absent from the Worth Library in Dr. Steeven’s Hospital: John Dryden (1631–1700) and William Shakespeare (1564–1616). Edward Worth did collect a number of Dryden’s works, including translations by him and a six-volume collection of his poetry, both published by Jacob Tonson.[37] From 1660 until 1709, Herringman was also ‘the single most prolific source of printed Shakespeare’.^[38] Of the fifty-five editions of Shakespeare’s plays published during this period, Herringman was responsible for 33%, including works he published independently and those produced with a partner.[39] His most notable publication during this period was Shakespeare’s Fourth Folio in 1685. There is a 1685 folio edition of Shakespeare’s works listed in the 1730 catalogue; however, this text never came to the Worth Library in Dr. Steevens’ Hospital.[40] It is likely that this missing volume was Herringman’s 1685 edition.

Ownership & Legacies

Sir William Davenant, The works of Sr William D’avenant Kt consisting of those which were formerly printed, and those which he design’d for the press … (London, 1673). Annotation by John Worth on front flyleaf indicating that he bought the book in London on 23 December 1682.

Of Herringman’s seven poetic and dramatic texts in the Edward Worth Library, three were originally owned by John Worth: Beaumont and Fletcher’s Fifty comedies and tragedies, Davenant’s The works of Sr William Davenant, and Waller’s Poems, &c. The texts are significant as literary works and demonstrate intellectual legacy and cultural connections through their ownership and legacy. Their inheritance by Edward Worth, and their inclusion in the collection, suggests that the Worth family valued the texts for their literary content. Edward Worth’s continued collection of Herringman’s literature demonstrates a sustained interest and engagement in seventeenth-century literary culture. By maintaining these volumes, the Worths participated in the broader preservation of Restoration and earlier English literary traditions.

Edmund Waller, Poems, &c. Written upon several occasions, and to several persons: by Edmond Waller, Esq. (London, 1682). View of binding.

The wear on the texts demonstrates the readership and use of texts in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The Waller collection, pictured above, demonstrates intense wear on its binding. This suggests that the Worths regularly used and engaged with this collection. The physical signs of use on this text, and others in the library, demonstrates the interaction between readers and books; they show which texts were regularly read and exemplify the literary tastes of the period. The use and wear of the texts emphasizes their dual legacy: as artifacts of personal ownership and as enduring contributors to the canon of English literature. Their preservation in the Edward Worth Library today continues this legacy, offering contemporary readers and scholars insight into historical practices of book collecting, literary circulation, and intellectual inheritance.

Conclusion

Henry Herringman was one of the most influential booksellers and publishers of the Restoration and late-Stuart period and had a significant impact on culture during this time. Through his publications, he preserved the works of earlier generations while promoting a contemporary literary culture during the Restoration and beyond. Herringman’s career bridged the complex socio-political environment of the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration, demonstrating his adaptability and understanding of his audience’s demands. His collaborations with printers and fellow booksellers demonstrate the cooperative nature of the seventeenth-century book trade, while his relationships with his authors exemplify his role as both a businessman and creator of literary culture.

Text: Ms Hannah Mattsen, Fourth Year Student, English Literature, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Sources

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Cowley, Abraham, The Second and Third Parts of the works of Mr Abraham Cowley … (London, 1689).

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Hammond, Paul, ‘The Restoration Poetic and Dramatic Canon’, in John Barnard and D. F. McKenzie (eds), The Cambridge History of the Book in Britain (Cambridge, 2002), pp 388–409.

Johns, Adrian, ‘Martyn, John (1617/18–1680)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.

Jonson, Ben, The works of Ben Jonson, which were formerly printed in two volumes, are now reprinted in one … (London, 1692).

Knighton, C. S., ‘Pepys, Samuel (1633–1703)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.

Lindsay, Alexander, ‘Cowley, Abraham (1618–1667)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.

McKenzie, D. F., and Maureen Bell, ‘Printing and Publishing 1557–1700: Constraints on the London Book Trades’, in John Barnard and D. F. McKenzie (eds), The Cambridge History of the Book in Britain (Cambridge, 2002), pp 553–67.

McMullan, Gordon, ‘Fletcher, John (1579–1625)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.

Miller, C. William, ‘Henry Herringman, Restoration Bookseller-Publisher’, The Papers of the Bibliographical Society of America, 42, no. 4 (1948), 292–306.

Miller, C. William, ‘‘In the Savoy’: A Study in Post-Restoration Imprints’, Papers of the Bibliographical Society, 1 (1948), 39–46.

Pepys, Samuel, The Diary of Samuel Pepys … (London, 1893). Available online: https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/4200/pg4200-images.html#link2H_4_0083.

Plomer, Henry R., A Dictionary of the Booksellers and Printers Who Were at Work in England, Scotland and Ireland from 1641 to 1667 (London, 1907).

Plomer, Henry R., Harry Gidney Aldis, and Arundell James Kennedy Esdaile, A Dictionary of the Printers and Booksellers Who Were at Work in England, Scotland and Ireland from 1668 to 1725 (Oxford, 1922).

Shaffer, Elinor, ‘Butler, Samuel (1835–1902)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.

Suckling, John, Sir, The vvorks of Sir John Suckling, containing all his poems, love- verses, songs, letters, and his tragedies and comedies … (London, 1696).

Waller, Edmund, Poems, &c. Written upon several occasions, and to several persons: by Edmond Waller, Esq. (London, 1682).

Wilcher, Robert, ‘Moseley, Humphrey (bap. 1604, d. 1661)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.

[1] Pepys, Samuel, Diary of Samuel Pepys … (London, 1893), 10 August 1667, 56. Available online: https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/4200/pg4200-images.html.

[2] Hammond, Paul, ‘The Restoration Poetic and Dramatic Canon’, in John Barnard and D. F. McKenzie (eds), The Cambridge History of the Book in Britain (Cambridge, 2002), pp 391.

[3] Ferdinand, C. Y., ‘Herringman, Henry (bap. 1628, d. 1704)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.

^[4] Ibid.

^[5] Miller, C. William, ‘Henry Herringman, Restoration Bookseller-Publisher’, The Papers of the Bibliographical Society of America, 42, no. 4 (1948), 295.

^[6] Ibid., 305.

^[7] Plomer, Henry R., A Dictionary of the Booksellers and Printers Who Were at Work in England, Scotland and Ireland from 1641 to 1667 (London, 1907), 132–133.

^[8] Miller, ‘Henry Herringman, Restoration Bookseller-Publisher’, 296.

[9] Ibid., 300.

^[10] Ibid., 297.

[11] Barnard, Toby, ‘Boyle, Roger, first earl of Orrery (1621–1679)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.

^[12] Miller, C. William, ‘‘In the Savoy’: A Study in Post-Restoration Imprints’, Papers of the Bibliographical Society, 1 (1948), 39–46.

^[13] Ibid., 43.

[14] Plomer, Henry R., A Dictionary of the Booksellers and Printers Who Were at Work in England, Scotland and Ireland from 1641 to 1667 (London, 1907), 96–97.

^[15] Miller, ‘Henry Herringman, Restoration Bookseller-Publisher’, 296.

[16] Ibid., 299.

[17] Ibid., 300.

^[18] Dugas, Don-John, Marketing the Bard: Shakespeare in Performance and Print, 1660–1740, (2006), 111–112. Dugas argues that Kirton’s kinsman’s estimate of the total loss to booksellers and printers may have been low, citing John Evelyn who placed his estimate at £200,000.

[19] Pepys, Samuel, Diary of Samuel Pepys … (London, 1893), 11 November 1667.

^[20] Miller, ‘Henry Herringman, Restoration Bookseller-Publisher’, 301.

[21] McKenzie, D. F., and Maureen Bell, ‘Printing and Publishing 1557–1700: Constraints on the London Book Trades’, in John Barnard and D. F. McKenzie (eds), The Cambridge History of the Book in Britain (Cambridge, 2002), pp 553–67.

^[22] Hammond, Paul, ‘The Restoration Poetic Canon’, in Paul Hammond, The Making of Restoration Poetry (Cambridge, 2006), pp 3–27.

^[23] Gavin, Michael, ‘Historical Text Networks: The Sociology of Early English Criticism’, Eighteenth-Century Studies, 50, no. 1 (2016), 53–80.

^[24] Chernaik, Warren, ‘Waller, Edmund (1606–1687)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.

^[25] Finkelpearl, P. J., ‘Beaumont, Francis (1584/5–1616)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.

[26] Beaumont, Francis, and John Fletcher, Fifty comedies and tragedies. Written by Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher, Gentlemen … (London, 1679).

[27] Beaumont, Francis, and John Fletcher, Fifty comedies and tragedies, Sig. A2r.

^[28] Donaldson, Ian, ‘Jonson, Benjamin [Ben] (1572–1637)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.

[29] Jonson, Ben, The works of Ben Jonson, which were formerly printed in two volumes, are now reprinted in one … (London, 1692). Epigraph, Sig. A4v.

[30] Pepys, Samuel, Diary of Samuel Pepys … (London, 1893), 10 August 1667, 56.

^[31] Lindsay, Alexander, ‘Cowley, Abraham (1618–1667)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.

[32] Anon., ‘Advertisements’, The London Gazette, 12 December 1687, Issue 2303, p. 2. Available online: https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/2303/page/2.

[33] D’Avenant, William, Sir, The works of Sr William D’avenant Kt consisting of those which were formerly printed, and those which he design’d for the press … (London, 1673), 203.

^[34] Clayton, Tom, ‘Suckling, Sir John (bap. 1609, d. 1641?)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.

[35] Plomer, Henry R., Harry Gidney Aldis, and Arundell James Kennedy Esdaile, A Dictionary of the Printers and Booksellers Who Were at Work in England, Scotland and Ireland from 1668 to 1725 (Oxford, 1922), 262.

[36] Ibid., 262.

[37] Worth had a six-volume 1716 edition of Dryden’s poetry, published by Tonson (volume 2 of which is missing from the Library collection).

^[38] Dugas, Marketing the Bard …, 90.

[39] Ibid., p. 90.

[40] The 1730 manuscript catalogue of Worth’s collection includes a reference to a 1685 London folio edition of Shakespeare. This work was clearly in Worth’s collection in Werburgh Street in 1730, but it does not have a shelf mark; this implies that the folio is one of the small cohort of books that never came to Dr. Steeven’s Hospital.