Type: Exhibition catalog

Name: John Milton and the Cultures of Print: An Exhibition of Books, Manuscripts, and Other Artifacts

Detail: Published by Rutgers University Libraries in conjunction with the exhibition opening.

Type: Exhibition caption

Name: Sir Thomas Smith, The Common-wealth of England (London: Printed by William Stansby for John Smethwicke, 1621)

Detail: Thomas Smith (1513-1577) was an Elizabethan political theorist who wrote in strong support of Parliamentary sovereignty. "The most high and absolute power of the Realme of England consisteth in the Parliament," he wrote. "The Parliament abrogateth old Lawes, maketh new, giveth order for things past, and for things hereafter to be followed, changeth rights and possessions of private men,...establisheth formes of Religion, [and] giveth forme of succession to the Crown." The war between the crown and the parliament revolved largely around questions of parliamentary versus royal sovereignty. Milton refers to this influential book several times in his reading notes and in his printed polemic.

Type: Exhibition section

Name: I. Milton's Library

Detail: MILTON'S LIBRARY: Milton's personal letters show that his access to books came in part from libraries and borrowed books, but also from his own substantial collection, which he had amassed from books acquired at shops in London and Europe. Regrettably, unlike contemporaries whose libraries are still intact or whose collections can be reconstructed with shelf lists or signed books, few of Milton's actual books can be identified with certainty: there are extant only seven books from Milton's own library. This is probably because he stopped signing books quite early in his career. Yet, like many early modern writers and readers, Milton kept a reading notebook or a Commonplace Book, which was a structured repository for reading notes. From this manuscript, in conjunction with references in his written work, we are able to piece together a detailed record of what Milton read and what he took away from his reading. This manuscript is presently housed in the British Library.