Henry Herringman
Henry Herringman | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1628 |
| Died | 1704 |
| Occupation(s) | Bookseller, publisher |
| Years active | 1655–1684 (retail business), thereafter wholesale publishing |
| Known for | Publishing English Renaissance and Restoration plays; pioneer publisher of John Dryden; master of the Stationers Company in 1685 |
Henry Herringman (1628–1704) was a distinguished bookseller and publisher based in London during the late 1600s, renowned for his role in disseminating English Renaissance and English Restoration plays. He was the pioneer in issuing publications by John Dryden and conducted his business under the emblem of the Blue Anchor at the New Exchange.
By 1655, Herringman had launched his independent venture. In 1661, he released the inaugural edition of Thomas Middleton's Hengist, King of Kent. His shop retailed the 1662 version of William Howel's General History. Notably, Herringman benefited from the Great Fire of London (1666), which devastated many rival inventories. He participated in stationers’ partnerships responsible for publishing significant compilations of works by William Shakespeare and his contemporaries, such as the Shakespeare Fourth Folio (1685), the third Ben Jonson folio (1692), and the second Beaumont and Fletcher folio (1679). His portfolio also included collected dramas by Thomas Killigrew (1664), publications of Sir William Davenant (1673), the Dryden/Davenant rendition of The Tempest (1670), along with plays authored by Thomas Shadwell, William Wycherley, George Etherege, and Sir Robert Howard.
During Dryden’s early professional years, he maintained a close association with Herringman, serving as an editorial collaborator and possibly living with him. In this capacity, Dryden oversaw and amended texts, which may have included Shakespearean dramas.
Aside from theatrical works, Herringman issued important nondramatic literature. Collaborating with John Martyn, he published the 1678 edition of Samuel Butler's Hudibras, featuring its concluding section. His catalogue also encompassed writings by Abraham Cowley, Katherine Philips, John Donne, Francis Bacon, as well as both Roger Boyle and Robert Boyle. Furthermore, he produced titles aimed at general readerships alongside legal texts.
In 1685, Herringman was appointed master of the Stationers Company. After divesting his retail establishment in 1684, he effectively emerged as England’s first wholesale book publisher; his imprint is found on 532 publications from that period.
References
- Holland, Peter (ed.), King Lear and Its Afterlife (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002).
- Miller, C. William, "Henry Herringman, Restoration Bookseller-Publisher." Papers of the Bibliographical Society of America, 1948; p. 292.