Samuel Weller Singer
Encyclopedia
Samuel Weller Singer was an author and scholar on the work of William Shakespeare
. He is also now remembered as a pioneer historian of card games.
. George John Singer was his younger brother. His father died when Samuel was ten years old, and his mother, whose maiden name was Elizabeth Weller, continued the feather and flower business. Samuel attended a day school kept by a Frenchwoman, and acquired facility in French. As a boy he read widely, and taught himself Italian. At an early age he was apprenticed to a hatter, but the indentures were cancelled. His mother then employed him, and about 1808 he set up for himself in the same trade in Duke Street, St. James's, though without success. He then opened a bookseller's shop in St. James's Street: collectors such as Heber, Grenville, and Francis Douce
were among his customers, and Douce became a lifelong friend.
With bookselling he combined literary work. In 1815 Singer gave up his shop and began to write full time. Leaving London, he settled first at Bushey
, Hertfordshire
, and later at Boxhall. Robert Triphook, the antiquarian publisher, and Charles Whittingham
, owner of the Chiswick Press, gave him employment. Singer was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries in 1825, but in 1827 his literary activity was checked by his acceptance of the office of librarian to the Royal Institution
in Albemarle Street. He retained the post till 1835. A year earlier his friend Francis Douce had died, and left him a legacy. Singer finally retired in 1835 to Mickleham, Surrey
. He died suddenly at Mickleham on 20 December 1858, and was buried there.
He had married, in 1808, Miss Harriet Robinson, by whom he was father of a son, Alfred (1816–1898), and three daughters. His library, which included many Italian books, was sold by auction in 1860.
's Latin treatise on the Apostles' Creed
was published at Oxford in 1478, and not, as Singer maintained, in 1468; the earlier date in the colophon
was a misprint. Singer later called in as many copies of his tract as he could. He finally recanted his original opinion in Leigh Sotheby's ‘Principia Typographica,’ iii. 19.
For Triphook he edited a series of reprints of sixteenth-century English literature. These included
Other poems reproduced by Singer in his early days were Bartholomew Griffin
's ‘Fidessa’ (1815), Edward Fairfax
's ‘Tasso’ (1817, 2 vols.), and Henry Constable
's ‘Diana’ (1818, in facsimile). In 1815 he prepared from the Lambeth manuscripts the first complete edition of the life of Thomas Wolsey by George Cavendish (2nd ed. 1827).
His ‘Researches into the History of Playing Cards; with Illustrations of the Origin of Printing and Engraving on Wood’ was published in 1816; two hundred and fifty copies were printed. It was superseded by the ‘Playing Cards of Various Ages and Countries,’ published in three volumes (1892–5) by Lady Charlotte Elizabeth Schreiber. In 1820 Singer printed for the first time a full transcript of the ‘Anecdotes of Joseph Spence’, the manuscript of which he found among Spence
's papers. An incomplete edition prepared by Edmund Malone was published independently on the same day as Singer's fuller version, which was reprinted in 1859. In 1823 he printed for the first time Sir Philip Sidney's paraphrase of the Psalms
. In 1828 he made a contribution to historical literature in ‘The Correspondence of Henry Hyde, earl of Clarendon, and of his brother Lawrence Hyde, earl of Rochester, with the Diary of Lord Clarendon, 1687–1690, and the Diary of Lord Rochester; published for the greater part for the first time from the original MSS.’ The manuscripts belonged to Singer's friend William Upcott
.
A popular venture was an edition of Shakespeare in ten volumes, which Singer undertook for Whittingham; it was issued by the Chiswick Press in 1826. Singer was responsible for a collation of the text and many notes. A life was contributed by Dr. Charles Symmons
, and there were wood engravings after the designs of Stothard and others. The edition was frequently republished.. A reissue in 1856 included a series of critical essays by Singer's friend, William Watkiss Lloyd
. Singer made the earliest attack on the genuineness of John Payne Collier
's manuscript corrections in the so-called Perkins folio. The work appeared in 1853 as the ‘Text of Shakespeare vindicated from the Interpolations and Corruptions advocated by J. P. Collier in his Notes and Emendations.’
Meanwhile Singer had studied Anglo-Saxon
and Norman-French, and began the compilation of an Anglo-Saxon dictionary. He abandoned the project on learning that Joseph Bosworth
was engaged on a similar undertaking. He issued adverse critical ‘Remarks on the Glossary [by Sir Frederic Madden] of Havelock the Dane’ (1829), to which Madden replied. He also printed, with an English translation, ‘The Departing Soul's Address to the Body, a fragment of a semi-Saxon Poem discovered among the Archives of Worcester Cathedral by Sir Thomas Phillipps’ (1845).
He edited Robert Herrick
's ‘Poetical Works’ (1846), Francis Bacon
's ‘Essays’ (1856), and John Selden
's ‘Table Talk’ (1847; 2nd edit. 1856). He translated Martin Luther
's ‘Way to Prayer’ (1846), and (with original additions) ‘Wayland Smith’ from the French of G. P. Depping and Francisque Michel (1847).
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
. He is also now remembered as a pioneer historian of card games.
Life
Born in London, he was son of Thomas Singer, a feather and artificial-flower maker, who carried on business in Princes Street, Cavendish SquareCavendish Square
Cavendish Square is a public square in the West End of London, very close to Oxford Circus, where the two main shopping thoroughfares of Oxford Street and Regent Street meet. It is located at the eastern end of Wigmore Street, which connects it to Portman Square, part of the Portman Estate, to its...
. George John Singer was his younger brother. His father died when Samuel was ten years old, and his mother, whose maiden name was Elizabeth Weller, continued the feather and flower business. Samuel attended a day school kept by a Frenchwoman, and acquired facility in French. As a boy he read widely, and taught himself Italian. At an early age he was apprenticed to a hatter, but the indentures were cancelled. His mother then employed him, and about 1808 he set up for himself in the same trade in Duke Street, St. James's, though without success. He then opened a bookseller's shop in St. James's Street: collectors such as Heber, Grenville, and Francis Douce
Francis Douce
Francis Douce was an English antiquary.-Biography:Douce was born in London. His father was a clerk in Chancery. After completing his education he entered his father's office, but soon quit it to devote himself to the study of antiquities...
were among his customers, and Douce became a lifelong friend.
With bookselling he combined literary work. In 1815 Singer gave up his shop and began to write full time. Leaving London, he settled first at Bushey
Bushey
Bushey is a town in the Hertsmere borough of Hertfordshire in the East of England. Bushey Heath is situated to the south east of Bushey on the boundary with the London Borough of Harrow.-History:...
, Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
, and later at Boxhall. Robert Triphook, the antiquarian publisher, and Charles Whittingham
Charles Whittingham
Charles Whittingham was an English printer.-Biography:He was born at Caludon or Calledon, Warwickshire, the son of a farmer, and was apprenticed to a Coventry printer and bookseller...
, owner of the Chiswick Press, gave him employment. Singer was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries in 1825, but in 1827 his literary activity was checked by his acceptance of the office of librarian to the Royal Institution
Royal Institution
The Royal Institution of Great Britain is an organization devoted to scientific education and research, based in London.-Overview:...
in Albemarle Street. He retained the post till 1835. A year earlier his friend Francis Douce had died, and left him a legacy. Singer finally retired in 1835 to Mickleham, Surrey
Mickleham, Surrey
Mickleham is a village and civil parish between the towns of Dorking and Leatherhead in Surrey, England covering . The parish includes the hamlet of Fredley.-History:Mickleham lies near to the old Roman road known as Stane Street...
. He died suddenly at Mickleham on 20 December 1858, and was buried there.
He had married, in 1808, Miss Harriet Robinson, by whom he was father of a son, Alfred (1816–1898), and three daughters. His library, which included many Italian books, was sold by auction in 1860.
Works
In 1811 he prepared for private circulation a limited edition of a reprint of Fénelon's ‘Deux Dialogues sur la Peinture,’ with a preface in French. There followed similar editions of ‘Lionora de' Bardi ed Hippolito Buondelmonte’ (1813), ‘Novelle Scelte Rarissime stampate a spese di XL Amatori’ (1814), and ‘Balivernes ou Contes nouveaux d'Eutrapel’ (1815). In 1812, too, he entered into literary controversy by printing for private distribution ‘Some Account of the Book printed at Oxford in mcccclxviii under the title Exposicio sancti Jeronimi in simbolo apostolorum’ (London). Here Singer displayed bibliographical knowledge, but RufinusTyrannius Rufinus
Tyrannius Rufinus or Rufinus of Aquileia was a monk, historian, and theologian. He is most known as a translator of Greek patristic material into Latin—especially the work of Origen.-Life:...
's Latin treatise on the Apostles' Creed
Apostles' Creed
The Apostles' Creed , sometimes titled Symbol of the Apostles, is an early statement of Christian belief, a creed or "symbol"...
was published at Oxford in 1478, and not, as Singer maintained, in 1468; the earlier date in the colophon
Colophon (publishing)
In publishing, a colophon is either:* A brief description of publication or production notes relevant to the edition, in modern books usually located at the reverse of the title page, but can also sometimes be located at the end of the book, or...
was a misprint. Singer later called in as many copies of his tract as he could. He finally recanted his original opinion in Leigh Sotheby's ‘Principia Typographica,’ iii. 19.
For Triphook he edited a series of reprints of sixteenth-century English literature. These included
- Sir John Harington's ‘Metamorphosis of Ajax’ (1814);
- ‘Shakespeare's Jest Book’ (3 parts, 1814–15);
- George RoperGeorge RoperThis is an article about the British comedian. For information on the British sitcom character, see Man About the House.George Roper was an English stand-up comedian, best known for his appearances in the long-running UK television series The Comedians.- Early history :He was born George Francis...
's ‘Life of More’ (1817); - poems by Richard LovelaceRichard LovelaceRichard Lovelace was an English poet in the seventeenth century. He was a cavalier poet who fought on behalf of the king during the Civil war. His best known works are To Althea, from Prison, and To Lucasta, Going to the Warres....
(1817), George ChapmanGeorge ChapmanGeorge Chapman was an English dramatist, translator, and poet. He was a classical scholar, and his work shows the influence of Stoicism. Chapman has been identified as the Rival Poet of Shakespeare's Sonnets by William Minto, and as an anticipator of the Metaphysical Poets...
(1818), Thomas LodgeThomas LodgeThomas Lodge was an English dramatist and writer of the Elizabethan and Jacobean periods.-Early life and education:...
, Shakerley Marmion, John ChalkhillJohn ChalkhillJohn Chalkhill was an English poet.Two songs by him are included in Izaak Walton's Compleat Angler, and in 1683 appeared Thealma and Clearchus. A Pastoral History in smooth and easie Verse...
, and Christopher MarloweChristopher MarloweChristopher Marlowe was an English dramatist, poet and translator of the Elizabethan era. As the foremost Elizabethan tragedian, next to William Shakespeare, he is known for his blank verse, his overreaching protagonists, and his mysterious death.A warrant was issued for Marlowe's arrest on 18 May...
(all in 1820), and Joseph Hall's ‘Satires’ (1824), as well as James PuckleJames PuckleJames Puckle was an English inventor, lawyer and writer from London chiefly remembered for his invention of the Defence Gun, better known as the Puckle gun, a multi-shot gun mounted on a stand capable of firing up to nine rounds per minute...
's ‘Club’ (1834).
Other poems reproduced by Singer in his early days were Bartholomew Griffin
Bartholomew Griffin
Bartholomew Griffin was an English poet. He is known for his Fidessa sequence of sonnets, published in 1596.-Works:Griffin wrote a series of 62 sonnets entitled Fidessa, more chaste than kinde, London, 1596...
's ‘Fidessa’ (1815), Edward Fairfax
Edward Fairfax
Edward Fairfax was a translator, the natural son of Sir Thomas Fairfax the elder, of Denton in Yorkshire, and thus a half-brother of Sir Thomas Fairfax.Fairfax lived at New Hall, Fewston...
's ‘Tasso’ (1817, 2 vols.), and Henry Constable
Henry Constable
Henry Constable was an English poet, son of Sir Robert Constable. He went to St John's College, Cambridge, where he took his degree in 1580. Becoming a Roman Catholic, he went to Paris, and acted as anagent for the Catholic powers. He died at Liège...
's ‘Diana’ (1818, in facsimile). In 1815 he prepared from the Lambeth manuscripts the first complete edition of the life of Thomas Wolsey by George Cavendish (2nd ed. 1827).
His ‘Researches into the History of Playing Cards; with Illustrations of the Origin of Printing and Engraving on Wood’ was published in 1816; two hundred and fifty copies were printed. It was superseded by the ‘Playing Cards of Various Ages and Countries,’ published in three volumes (1892–5) by Lady Charlotte Elizabeth Schreiber. In 1820 Singer printed for the first time a full transcript of the ‘Anecdotes of Joseph Spence’, the manuscript of which he found among Spence
Joseph Spence (author)
Joseph Spence was a historian, literary scholar and anecdotist, most famous for his collection of anecdotes that are an invaluable resource for historians of 18th century English literature .- Early life :Spence was born on 28 April 1699, at Kingsclere, Hampshire, the son of Joseph Joseph Spence...
's papers. An incomplete edition prepared by Edmund Malone was published independently on the same day as Singer's fuller version, which was reprinted in 1859. In 1823 he printed for the first time Sir Philip Sidney's paraphrase of the Psalms
Psalms
The Book of Psalms , commonly referred to simply as Psalms, is a book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Bible...
. In 1828 he made a contribution to historical literature in ‘The Correspondence of Henry Hyde, earl of Clarendon, and of his brother Lawrence Hyde, earl of Rochester, with the Diary of Lord Clarendon, 1687–1690, and the Diary of Lord Rochester; published for the greater part for the first time from the original MSS.’ The manuscripts belonged to Singer's friend William Upcott
William Upcott
-Life:Born in Oxfordshire, he was the illegitimate son of Ozias Humphry by Delly Wickens, daughter of an Oxford shopkeeper, called Upcott from the maiden name of Humphry's mother. His father bequeathed to him his miniatures, pictures, drawings, and engravings, as well as correspondence with many...
.
A popular venture was an edition of Shakespeare in ten volumes, which Singer undertook for Whittingham; it was issued by the Chiswick Press in 1826. Singer was responsible for a collation of the text and many notes. A life was contributed by Dr. Charles Symmons
Charles Symmons
-Life:Symmons was the younger son of John Symmons, the MP for Cardigan. He was born in Cardigan in 1749 and educated at Westminster School, joining the school in 1765; he was admitted as a member of Lincoln's Inn later in the same year. He then attended the University of Glasgow in 1766, striking...
, and there were wood engravings after the designs of Stothard and others. The edition was frequently republished.. A reissue in 1856 included a series of critical essays by Singer's friend, William Watkiss Lloyd
William Watkiss Lloyd
William Watkiss Lloyd , was an English writer.He was born at Homerton, Middlesex, and educated at Newcastle-under-Lyme independent school. At the age of fifteen he entered a family business in London, with which he was connected for thirty-five years...
. Singer made the earliest attack on the genuineness of John Payne Collier
John Payne Collier
John Payne Collier , English Shakespearian critic and forger, was born in London.-Reporter and solicitor:...
's manuscript corrections in the so-called Perkins folio. The work appeared in 1853 as the ‘Text of Shakespeare vindicated from the Interpolations and Corruptions advocated by J. P. Collier in his Notes and Emendations.’
Meanwhile Singer had studied Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon may refer to:* Anglo-Saxons, a group that invaded Britain** Old English, their language** Anglo-Saxon England, their history, one of various ships* White Anglo-Saxon Protestant, an ethnicity* Anglo-Saxon economy, modern macroeconomic term...
and Norman-French, and began the compilation of an Anglo-Saxon dictionary. He abandoned the project on learning that Joseph Bosworth
Joseph Bosworth
Joseph Bosworth , English scholar of Anglo-Saxon language and Anglo-Saxon literature, was born in Derbyshire.-Biography:Educated at Repton, whence he proceeded to the University of Aberdeen, he became in 1817 vicar of Little Horwood, Buckinghamshire, and devoted his spare time to literature and...
was engaged on a similar undertaking. He issued adverse critical ‘Remarks on the Glossary [by Sir Frederic Madden] of Havelock the Dane’ (1829), to which Madden replied. He also printed, with an English translation, ‘The Departing Soul's Address to the Body, a fragment of a semi-Saxon Poem discovered among the Archives of Worcester Cathedral by Sir Thomas Phillipps’ (1845).
He edited Robert Herrick
Robert Herrick (poet)
Robert Herrick was a 17th-century English poet.-Early life:Born in Cheapside, London, he was the seventh child and fourth son of Julia Stone and Nicholas Herrick, a prosperous goldsmith....
's ‘Poetical Works’ (1846), Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Albans, KC was an English philosopher, statesman, scientist, lawyer, jurist, author and pioneer of the scientific method. He served both as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England...
's ‘Essays’ (1856), and John Selden
John Selden
John Selden was an English jurist and a scholar of England's ancient laws and constitution and scholar of Jewish law...
's ‘Table Talk’ (1847; 2nd edit. 1856). He translated Martin Luther
Martin Luther
Martin Luther was a German priest, professor of theology and iconic figure of the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. He confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517...
's ‘Way to Prayer’ (1846), and (with original additions) ‘Wayland Smith’ from the French of G. P. Depping and Francisque Michel (1847).