PRINTERS, PUBLISHERS, AND TRANSLATORS OF ÆLFRIC’S EASTER HOMILY IN A TESTIMONIE OF ANTIQUITIE FROM 1566-1687

The popularity and success of A Testimonie of Antiquitie is apparent in the number of printed editions between 1566-1687; as Allen Frantzen writes in his Desire for Origins, it was one of the most frequently printed Old English texts. However, no one has ever conducted a critical examination of every printed edition of Ælfric’s Easter Homily from its first printing in 1566/1567 to its last printed edition in the seventeenth century in 1687. Examining these editions through a book and print history lens is vastly productive. It enables us to see how printers and translators have made lasting impacts on the text and how historical events influenced the editorial decisions and production of the editions. Furthermore, comparing and contrasting the transcriptions and translations in the editions brings new understanding as to how translators and printers were utilizing these texts for editorial and formatting purposes. From this examination, we can draw important connections among the editions; these connections demonstrate which edition a translator and printer utilized for their publication of the text. Tracking the editorial and formatting changes of the editions and placing those changes within a historical context provides key information on why and how these editions were being produced. Moreover, this dissertation exemplifies the trajectory of early modern English book and print history.