ABSTRACT
John Shirley’s normal hand is a secretary script, early fifteenth- rather than late fourteenth-century in character, but for display purposes he adopted a large textura quadrata. In matters of decoration - lozenges, trails, and so on - the inscription is recognisably similar to Shirley's usage elsewhere. The name 'Knyvett' may also be connected with Shirley through the family of his second wife, Margaret Lynne. The contents of Shirley's anthologies demonstrate his familiarity with the poetic works of Chaucer, Lydgate, Hoccleve, and others. Most of the books which Shirley owned are plain, though not as rough and ready as the volumes in his own hand. A number of Shirley's books found their way to other owners during his lifetime. The flyleaf of the book that Shirley gave to Caudrey is inscribed with a fragment of John Walton's Boethius, which Shirley also copied into the volume he gave to his wife and sister-in-law.
