'Songes and Sonettes, written by the ryght honorable Lorde Henry Haward late Earle of Surrey, and other', usually called '''Tottel's Miscellany''', was the first printed
anthology of
English poetry. It was published by
Richard Tottel in 1557, and ran to many editions in the
sixteenth century.
It was particularly influential in establishing the
sonnet as a short
verse form in English. The collection contained many sonnets by
Thomas Wyatt and the
Earl of Surrey. It became a byword; there is a reference to it in ''
The Merry Wives of Windsor''.
Other poets included were
Nicholas Grimald,
Thomas Norton,
Lord Vaux,
Sir John Cheke,
William Gray, and
Sir Anthony St. Leger. Some pieces were anonymous or of indeterminate authorship;
Chaucer was represented.
C. S. Lewis sees the collection as based on a school active from 1530.
The Miscellany has been reprinted numberous times, including a two-volume set by the Harvard Press in the 1920's.
External links
★ [No longer available at the University of Michigan]
★ [Available through the Oxford Text Archive: http://ota.ahds.ac.uk/]