John Charlewood
Encyclopedia
John Charlewood commenced business as a printer early in Mary
's reign in partnership with John Tisdale, in Holborn
. He was important as one of the first printer to print Italian works in England - the other being John Wolfe
, who printed at roughly the same time as Charlewood.
He was a member of the Grocers' Company until about 1574, though he took out licences to print books. From 1562 to 1593 he printed continuously and issued a very large number of books. His address was the Half-Eagle and Key in the Barbican
, and in one of the Marprelate
tracts it is stated that as printer to the Earl of Arundel
he had a press in the Charterhouse
. He was known to be one of the ring-leaders of the gang of printers who printed pirated copies of texts to which they had no rights. His widow married James Roberts
, who thus succeeded to the business.
A fictitious foreign imprint of Venice helped the sales in England of a book in a foreign language. Charlewood obviously hoped that this stratagem would provide easier and increased sales for these books, which would allow the printing of a larger and more profitable edition. His hopes were apparently not realised since none of them were reprinted in Italian in Great Britain until modern times.
in England at the time.
Works by Giordano Bruno
include: De la causa, principio, et uno (1584), De l'infinito universo et mondi (1584), De gli heroici furori (1585), and Cabala del cauallo Pegaseo (1585). These four works and two others were all published during or immediately following Bruno's visit to Oxford University. They were obviously the backlog of works which he had accumulated during his years of wandering and exile.
He also printed Amorous Fiammetta (1587) by Giovanni Boccaccio
, of which only 4 copies are known to exist.
Mary I of England
Mary I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death.She was the only surviving child born of the ill-fated marriage of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon. Her younger half-brother, Edward VI, succeeded Henry in 1547...
's reign in partnership with John Tisdale, in Holborn
Holborn
Holborn is an area of Central London. Holborn is also the name of the area's principal east-west street, running as High Holborn from St Giles's High Street to Gray's Inn Road and then on to Holborn Viaduct...
. He was important as one of the first printer to print Italian works in England - the other being John Wolfe
John Wolfe (printer)
John Wolfe was an English bookseller and printer. His considerable ambition and his disdain for the printing patent system of Elizabethan England drew the ire of his competitors and authorities in his early career...
, who printed at roughly the same time as Charlewood.
He was a member of the Grocers' Company until about 1574, though he took out licences to print books. From 1562 to 1593 he printed continuously and issued a very large number of books. His address was the Half-Eagle and Key in the Barbican
Barbican
A barbican, from medieval Latin barbecana, signifying the "outer fortification of a city or castle," with cognates in the Romance languages A barbican, from medieval Latin barbecana, signifying the "outer fortification of a city or castle," with cognates in the Romance languages A barbican, from...
, and in one of the Marprelate
Marprelate Controversy
The Marprelate Controversy was a war of pamphlets waged in England and Wales in 1588 and 1589, between a puritan writer who employed the pseudonym Martin Marprelate, and defenders of the Established Church....
tracts it is stated that as printer to the Earl of Arundel
Earl of Arundel
The title Earl of Arundel is the oldest extant Earldom and perhaps the oldest extant title in the Peerage of England. It is currently held by the Duke of Norfolk, and is used by his heir apparent as a courtesy title. It was created in 1138 for the Norman baron Sir William d'Aubigny...
he had a press in the Charterhouse
London Charterhouse
The London Charterhouse is a historic complex of buildings in Smithfield, London dating back to the 14th century. It occupies land to the north of Charterhouse Square. The Charterhouse began as a Carthusian priory, founded in 1371 and dissolved in 1537...
. He was known to be one of the ring-leaders of the gang of printers who printed pirated copies of texts to which they had no rights. His widow married James Roberts
James Roberts
James Roberts may refer to:*James Roberts , Bradford City A.F.C. and Wales international footballer*James Roberts , Wrexham A.F.C. and Wales international footballer...
, who thus succeeded to the business.
A fictitious foreign imprint of Venice helped the sales in England of a book in a foreign language. Charlewood obviously hoped that this stratagem would provide easier and increased sales for these books, which would allow the printing of a larger and more profitable edition. His hopes were apparently not realised since none of them were reprinted in Italian in Great Britain until modern times.
Printed Works
Charlewood printed several books by Italian authors, showing the popularity of the Italian languageItalian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
in England at the time.
Works by Giordano Bruno
Giordano Bruno
Giordano Bruno , born Filippo Bruno, was an Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, mathematician and astronomer. His cosmological theories went beyond the Copernican model in proposing that the Sun was essentially a star, and moreover, that the universe contained an infinite number of inhabited...
include: De la causa, principio, et uno (1584), De l'infinito universo et mondi (1584), De gli heroici furori (1585), and Cabala del cauallo Pegaseo (1585). These four works and two others were all published during or immediately following Bruno's visit to Oxford University. They were obviously the backlog of works which he had accumulated during his years of wandering and exile.
He also printed Amorous Fiammetta (1587) by Giovanni Boccaccio
Giovanni Boccaccio
Giovanni Boccaccio was an Italian author and poet, a friend, student, and correspondent of Petrarch, an important Renaissance humanist and the author of a number of notable works including the Decameron, On Famous Women, and his poetry in the Italian vernacular...
, of which only 4 copies are known to exist.
External links
- H. R. Tedder, ‘Charlewood, John (d. 1593)’, rev. Robert Faber, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004, accessed 11 Jan 2008