The print repertoire of the 16th and 17th centuries in England has been neglected historically, and this remarkable book rectifies a major oversight in the history of English visual art. It provides an iconographic survey of the single-sheet prints produced during the early modern era and brings to light significant recent discoveries from this visual storehouse. It publishes many works for the first time, as well as placing them and those relatively few others known to specialists in their cultural context.

This large body of material is treated broadly thematically, and within each theme, chronologically. Portents and prodigies, the formal moralities and doctrines of Christianity, the sects of Christianity, visual satire of foreigners and "others," domestic political issues, social criticism and gender roles, marriage and sex, as well as numerical series and miscellaneous visual tricks, puzzles, and jokes, are all examined. The book concludes by considering the significance of this wealth of visual material for the cultural history of England in the early modern era.

Published for the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art

About the Author
Malcolm Jones is senior lecturer, Department of English Language and Linguistics, University of Sheffield.

Reviews
"Highly recommended."-T. J. McCormick, Choice -- T. J. McCormick * Choice *
"The Print in Early Modern England: An Historical Oversight represents both a vital contribution to the developing study of the early modern English print and a stimulating call to emerging scholars in the field."-Helen Pierce, Huntington Library Quarterly -- Helen Pierce * Huntington Library Quarterly *
"The combination of the author's knowledge of the literature and words of the period, his experience working with Continental influences on English art, his abilities with visual and bibliographic details, his organizational abilities, and his nice way of incorporating other scholars' efforts with his own discoveries have led to a very fine book."-Agnes Haigh Widder, Historians of British Art Newsletter -- Agnes Haigh Widder * Historians of British Art Newsletter *
"The Print in Early Modern England is a testament to the discoveries still attainable through good, old-fashioned, archival research. . . . What [Jones] uncovered is a bounty that should dispel the myth of early modern England's visual illiteracy, and transform the way we picture the life of that extraordinary, culturally dynamic time."-Suzanne Karr Schmidt, Art in Print -- Suzanne Karr Schmidt * Art in Print *



Book Information
ISBN 9780300136975
Author Malcolm Jones
Format Hardback
Page Count 352
Imprint Yale University Press
Publisher Yale University Press
Weight(grams) 2722g