Thomas Dring
| Company type | Bookseller and publisher |
|---|---|
| Industry | Publishing |
| Founded | 1649 |
| Headquarters | London , England |
| Products | Books, drama, poetry, legal texts, nonfiction |
Thomas Dring (deceased 1668) was a bookseller and publisher based in London, active from 1649 onwards. His business operated "at the sign of the George in Fleet Street, close to St. Dunstan's Church."
Drama
Although Dring’s primary specialization was legal texts, he also ventured into publishing English Renaissance drama. Among his most important endeavors was the 1653 release of Five New Plays, a noteworthy compilation of Richard Brome's works, produced in collaboration with Humphrey Moseley and Richard Marriot. He issued both original and subsequent editions of prominent plays such as:
- The Shepherd's Paradise, a masque by Walter Montague (1659)
- The Slighted Maid by Sir Robert Stapylton (1663)
- The third edition of Love Tricks by James Shirley (1667)
- The second edition of The Changeling, co-authored by Thomas Middleton and William Rowley (1668)
- The fifth edition of Albumazar by Thomas Tomkis (1668).
Other works
Dring also published poetry collections from authors including John Harington, Sir Edward Sherburne, and Edward, Lord Herbert. Working alongside Moseley, he released Thomas Stanley's influential three-volume History of Philosophy between 1655 and 1661, and independently brought out Stanley’s edition of Claudius Aelianus in 1665. His catalog also featured nonfiction such as the controversial Modern Policies, Taken from Machiavel, Borgia, and Other Choice Authors (1652).
He frequently collaborated with fellow stationers on substantial projects: for instance, partnering with John Place and Henry Twyford to publish Franz Schott's illustrated Italy in Its Original Glory (1660), and joining forces with John Starkey on César de Rochefort's History of the Caribby Islands (1666).
Despite maintaining a generally respected reputation, Dring was connected to some dubious publications common to his era. In 1650, he issued Robert Baron's Pocula Castalia, which was largely plagiarized from John Milton. Additionally, in 1658 he published "H. W."'s The Accomplish'd Courtier, an unacknowledged translation of Eustache de Refuge’s 1617 work Traicté de la Cour.
Dring’s last will is dated 12 September 1668 and was proved on 21 December of the same year. He left behind two sons named Thomas and Joshua.
Dring the younger
His son, Thomas Dring the younger, continued the family publishing enterprise into the 1680s, operating "at the sign of the White Lion next Chancery Lane end, in Fleet Street." Following his father’s example, he issued legal texts, political writings, drama, and general literature. During the 1670s, he notably published important theatrical works including:
- Aphra Behn’s The Amorous Prince (1671) and The Dutch Lover (1673)
- The Rehearsal, attributed to George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham and others (1672)
- The Citizen Turned Gentleman by Edward Ravenscroft (1672)
- Henry Nevil Payne’s plays The Fatal Journey and The Morning Ramble (both released in 1673)
- William Wycherley’s The Gentleman Dancing-Master (1673), co-published with Henry Herringman, as well as The Country Wife (1675)
Among his non-dramatic publications, the second edition of Milton’s shorter poems in 1673 stands out as a significant contribution.