Edward Blount facts for kids

Edward Blount (also known as Blunt) was an important London publisher who lived from 1562 to 1632. He was active during the time of Queen Elizabeth I, King James I, and King Charles I in England. He is most famous for helping to publish the very first collection of Shakespeare's plays, known as the First Folio, in 1623. He worked on this big project with William and Isaac Jaggard.

Who Was Edward Blount?

Edward Blount was born in London and was baptized on January 31, 1562. When he was about 16 years old, in 1578, he started an apprenticeship. This meant he worked for ten years under a master publisher named William Ponsonby. This was part of learning the publishing trade.

Starting His Career

Edward Blount was part of a group called the Stationers' Company. This was a powerful group for people who made and sold books in London. On June 25, 1588, he became a "freeman" of this company. This meant he was a full member and could now publish books on his own.

Publishing Important Books

Edward Blount published many significant books during his career. Some of his most important works include an Italian-English dictionary by Giovanni Florio. He also published Florio's translation of the famous French writer Montaigne.

He also published Hero and Leander by Marlowe in 1598. Another notable work was the Six Court Comedies by John Lyly in 1632. Blount himself also translated books from other languages. For example, he translated Ars Aulica, or the Courtier's Arte (1607) from Italian. He also translated Christian Policie (1632) from Spanish.

Working with Shakespeare's Plays

While the First Folio is his most famous work, Blount also published books by other important writers. These included Miguel de Cervantes, Ben Jonson, Samuel Daniel, and William Camden. People described Blount as someone who truly loved literature and had good taste in books.

Beyond the First Folio, Blount had other connections to Shakespeare's works. In 1601, he published a book called Love's Martyr by Robert Chester. This book included Shakespeare's poem The Phoenix and the Turtle. In 1608, he registered two of Shakespeare's plays, Antony and Cleopatra and Pericles, Prince of Tyre, with the Stationers' Company. This was like officially claiming them, even though he didn't publish them himself. Blount was also good friends with Thomas Thorpe, who published Shakespeare's sonnets. Edward Blount passed away by October 1632.