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Elizabeth I

Collected Works

This long-awaited and masterfully edited volume contains nearly all of the writings of Queen Elizabeth I: the clumsy letters of childhood, the early speeches of a fledgling queen, and the prayers and poetry of the monarch’s later years. The first collection of its kind, Elizabeth I reveals brilliance on two counts: that of the Queen, a dazzling writer and a leading intellect of the English Renaissance, and that of the editors, whose copious annotations make the book not only essential to scholars but accessible to general readers as well.

"This collection shines a light onto the character and experience of one of the most interesting of monarchs. . . . We are likely never to get a closer or clearer look at her. An intriguing and intense portrait of a woman who figures so importantly in the birth of our modern world."—Publishers Weekly

"An admirable scholarly edition of the queen’s literary output. . . . This anthology will excite scholars of Elizabethan history, but there is something here for all of us who revel in the English language."—John Cooper, Washington Times

"Substantial, scholarly, but accessible. . . . An invaluable work of reference."—Patrick Collinson, London Review of Books

"In a single extraordinary volume . . . Marcus and her coeditors have collected the Virgin Queen’s letters, speeches, poems and prayers. . . . An impressive, heavily footnoted volume."—Library Journal

"This excellent anthology of [Elizabeth’s] speeches, poems, prayers and letters demonstrates her virtuosity and afford the reader a penetrating insight into her ’wiles and understandings.’"—Anne Somerset, New Statesman

"Here then is the only trustworthy collection of the various genres of Elizabeth’s writings. . . . A fine edition which will be indispensable to all those interested in Elizabeth I and her reign."—Susan Doran, History

"In the torrent of words about her, the queen’s own words have been hard to find. . . . [This] volume is a major scholarly achievement that makes Elizabeth’s mind much more accessible than before. . . . A veritable feast of material in different genres."—David Norbrook, The New Republic

470 pages | 5-1/2 x 8-1/2 | © 2000

Biography and Letters

Gender and Sexuality

History: British and Irish History

Literature and Literary Criticism: British and Irish Literature

Women's Studies

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations
List of Abbreviations and Frequently Cited Works
Preface
I. 1533-1558
Letters 1-23
Poems 1-3
Prayers 1-2
II. 1558-1572
Speeches 1-12
Letters 24-33
Poems 4-5
Prayers 3-28
Poem 6
III. 1572-1587
Speeches 13-18
Letters 34-77
Poems 7-12
Prayers 29-35
IV. 1588-1603
Speeches 19-24
Letters 78-103
Poems 13-15
Prayers 36-39
Lists of Speeches, Letters, Poems, Prayers
Index of Names

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