The Lives of the Most Famous English Poets, or the Honour of Parnassus;

(SHAKESPEARE - Early Reference) WINSTANLEY (William): The Lives of the Most Famous English Poets, or the Honour of Parnassus; in a brief Essay on the Works and Writings ... from the time of K. William the Conquerer to the reign of His Present Majesty King James II. London: H Clark for Samuel Manship, 1687. Copper-engraved frontispiece by F H Van Houe (the whole mounted on front fly-leaf). 8vo, [xxii] 221pp lacking preliminary leaf a4 (supplied in facsmile) + [8]pp early mss. index to the writers included; 19th century half-leather, marbled boards (scuffed) with bindery ticket of J Winstanley, Manchester. Bookplate of Frederick Wormersley on inside front cover.

William Winstanley (1628-1698) was an influential poet and journalist of the 17th century. Aside from chronicling this early record of poets (the entry on William Shakespeare runs nearly 4pp), he is also responsible for salvaging the celebration of Christmas following the death of Cromwell (1658) whose Puritan teachings made the holiday illegal, even to the banning of mince pies.