The Malone Society is a British-based
text publication and general
scholarly society devoted to the study of 16th- and early 17th-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 and research grants.
History
The society was founded in 1906 on the initiative of
Alfred W. Pollard, 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 commemorates
Edmond Malone (1741–1812), the editor of the first
variorum edition of
Shakespeare.
The inaugural meeting was held on 30 July 1906 at
University College London. It was attended by
Frederick S. Boas,
E. K. Chambers
Sir Edmund Kerchever Chambers, (16 March 1866 – 21 January 1954), usually known as E. K. Chambers, was an English literary critic and Shakespearean scholar. His four-volume work on ''The Elizabethan Stage'', published in 1923, remains a st ...
,
T. Gregory Foster
T is the twentieth letter of the Latin alphabet. (For the same letterform in the Cyrillic and Greek alphabets, see Te and Tau respectively).
T may also refer to:
Codes and units
* T, Tera- as in one trillion
* T, the symbol for "True" in lo ...
,
Walter Wilson Greg,
Ronald B. McKerrow
Ronald Brunlees McKerrow, FBA (12 December 1872 – 20 January 1940) was one of the leading bibliographers and Shakespeare scholars of the 20th century.
Life
R. B. McKerrow was born in Putney, son of Alexander McKerrow, a civil engineer, and M ...
, and 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."
Membership of the society had always been by formal nomination, and for many years the number was restricted to 250. Following the relaxation of these rules, membership became increasingly international, and local chapters have been established in the United States, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, and Australia. Members are entitled to a copy of an edited volume published every year by the Society.
The Society is a registered charity in the United Kingdom and its administrative base is at the
University of London's Institute of English Studies.
Publications
A complete list of the society's publications
References
Sources
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External links
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Learned societies of the United Kingdom
Text publication societies
Organizations established in 1906
1906 establishments in the United Kingdom
Shakespearean scholarship
16th century in England
17th century in England
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