Malone Society
Encyclopedia
The Malone Society is a British-based scholarly society devoted to the study of sixteenth- and early seventeenth-century drama. It publishes editions of plays from manuscript, facsimile editions of printed and manuscript plays of the period, and editions of original documents relating to English theatre and drama before 1642. It also arranges conferences and provides fellowships.
, who stated that every generation will need to make its own critical editions to suit its own critical taste, but that work of permanent utility can be done by placing in the hands of students at large such reproductions of the original textual authorities as may make constant and continuous reference to those originals themselves unnecessary. The chosen name commemorated Edmond Malone
(1741-1812), the editor of the first variorum
edition of Shakespeare.
The inaugural meeting was held at University College London
It was attended by Frederick S. Boas
, E. K. Chambers, T. Gregory Foster, Walter Wilson Greg
, Ronald B. McKerrow, and Alfred W. Pollard
. They agreed that a need existed for the reliable transmission of early modern play texts for scholars and students. Therefore they resolved, that a Society, to be called The Malone Society, be formed for the purpose of producing accurate copies of the best editions of early plays, an aim that has been successfully exexuted in the succeeding years.
Membership of the society has always been by formal nomination, and for many years the number was restricted to 250. Following the relaxation of that rule, membership became increasingly international, and local chapters have been established in the United States, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, and Australia.
The Society is a registered charity that receives administrative support from the University of London's
Institute of English Studies
.
History
The society was founded in 1906 on the initiative of Alfred W. PollardAlfred W. Pollard
Alfred William Pollard was an English bibliographer, widely credited for bringing a higher level of scholarly rigor to the study of Shakespearean texts....
, who stated that every generation will need to make its own critical editions to suit its own critical taste, but that work of permanent utility can be done by placing in the hands of students at large such reproductions of the original textual authorities as may make constant and continuous reference to those originals themselves unnecessary. The chosen name commemorated Edmond Malone
Edmond Malone
Edmond Malone was an Irish Shakespearean scholar and editor of the works of William Shakespeare.Assured of an income after the death of his father in 1774, Malone was able to give up his law practice for at first political and then more congenial literary pursuits. He went to London, where he...
(1741-1812), the editor of the first variorum
Variorum
A variorum is a work that collates all known variants of a text. It is a work of textual criticism, whereby all variations and emendations are set side by side so that a reader can track how textual decisions have been made in the preparation of a text for publication...
edition of Shakespeare.
The inaugural meeting was held at University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
It was attended by Frederick S. Boas
Frederick S. Boas
Frederick Samuel Boas was an English scholar of early modern drama. He was born on 24 July 1862, the eldest son of Hermann Boas of Belfast. He attended Clifton College as a scholar and went up to Balliol College, Oxford, in 1881. During his time at Balliol his tutor was David George Ritchie...
, E. K. Chambers, T. Gregory Foster, Walter Wilson Greg
Walter Wilson Greg
Sir Walter Wilson Greg was one of the leading bibliographers and Shakespeare scholars of the 20th century....
, Ronald B. McKerrow, and Alfred W. Pollard
Alfred W. Pollard
Alfred William Pollard was an English bibliographer, widely credited for bringing a higher level of scholarly rigor to the study of Shakespearean texts....
. They agreed that a need existed for the reliable transmission of early modern play texts for scholars and students. Therefore they resolved, that a Society, to be called The Malone Society, be formed for the purpose of producing accurate copies of the best editions of early plays, an aim that has been successfully exexuted in the succeeding years.
Membership of the society has always been by formal nomination, and for many years the number was restricted to 250. Following the relaxation of that rule, membership became increasingly international, and local chapters have been established in the United States, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, and Australia.
The Society is a registered charity that receives administrative support from the University of London's
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
Institute of English Studies
Institute of English Studies
The Institute of English Studies is a centre of excellence in the research, promotion and facilitation in the field English Literature and Language. With a specialisation in Book History, Palaeography and Textual Scholarship, the IES facilitates the advanced study and research of English Studies...
.