During the first decade of his career, Richard Tottel printed many non-legal books, mostly works of literature and philosophy. The influence of humanist thought and the educational programme that went with it is present in this work, just as it was in his legal printing.
Some of the works he printed like Lydgate’s The Fall of Princes had already proved popular in manuscript copies and earlier printed editions and some, like Brooke’s Romeus & Juliet were new English versions or ‘translations’ of well-received texts in other languages. Tottel printed works by authors from both sides of the religious divide such as Thomas More and Nicholas Grimald but appears to have been cautious enough to never print anything that was overtly controversial.
By far the most enduring book Tottel printed was Songes and Sonettes or Tottel’s Miscellany . It is still unclear whether he was the actual editor of this book, but he was clearly closely involved in its publication. This was the most experimental and original piece of Tottel’s work, resulting in what is often considered to be first anthology of English poetry.
Richard Tottel 