Edward Arber

Edward Arber (born Dec. 4, 1836, London—died Nov. 23, 1912, London) was a scholar whose editing, and publication at reasonable prices, of Elizabethan and Restoration texts first made detailed study of them possible to the ordinary student.

An Admiralty clerk, he studied literature and entered academic life, serving as professor of English at Birmingham from 1881 to 1894. His editions of many texts remain the only ones easily accessible. His English Reprints, 30 vol. (1868–71), began with a sixpenny edition of Milton’s Areopagitica. Later series include the important English Garner, 8 vol. (1877–96), and The English Scholar’s Library of Old and Modern Works, 16 vol. (1878–84). Also valuable are his Transcript of the Registers of the Company of Stationers of London, 1554–1640 A.D. (The Stationers’ Register, 5 vol., 1875–94) and The Term Catalogues, 1668–1709 A.D., 3 vol. (1903–06), edited from booksellers’ quarterly lists.