Certaine Learned and Elegant Workes of the Right Honorable Fulke Lord Brooke

1633

De Beer Eb 1633 G

London: Printed by E.[lizabeth] P.[urslowe] for Henry Seyle

When her husband George died in 1632, Elizabeth Purslowe took over the printing business. This was not an unusual step. Between 1550 and 1650, there were some 130 women in the print trade, and a number took over from their husbands when they died. Other female printers included ‘Widow Sayle’, ‘Widow of J. Blageart’, Alice Norton, and Hannah Allen. Active in London between 1633 and 1646, Elizabeth Purslowe printed 146 texts. Many were outstanding productions like this Fulke Greville edition, which was one of her firsts. Apart from being known as a female printer, Purslowe has the distinction of a slouchy hat named after her: the ‘Purslowe’ hat.