Spenser: The Faerie Queene

The Faerie Queene is one of the indisputably great masterpieces of English literature, and has influenced, inspired and challenged generations of writers, readers and scholars since its completion in 1596. However, its epic length, its prodigality of incident and detail, the complexity of its allegory and richness of its topical allusions make if one the hardest texts to understand. Few works demand or repay introduction and annotation as much. Professor Hamilton’s widely acclaimed annotated work, first published in 1977 and substantially revised in 2001, was the first complete critical edition widely available.

Hamilton’s edition is a masterpiece of scholarship and close reading. The entire work is revised, and the text of The Faerie Queene itself has been freshly edited. The text, itself a milestone in academic achievement, has been produced by Hiroshi Yamashita and Toshiyki Suzuki and is now considered the new standard text of the poem.

This edition continues the excellent scholarship of the first edition: Hamilton provides exceptionally full and careful annotation of the text, detailed guidance to critical comment past and present, and a wealth of introductory material setting the poem in its historical and literary context. This edition also includes additional material which includes a chronology, a letter to Raleigh, commendatory verses, and dedicatory sonnets. A list of characters and their appearances has also been compiled by Shohachi Fukuda, listing their place in the poem and commentary on the names. As a sign of its enduring appeal, this edition was, in 2005, award the Isobel McAffery Award by the International Spenser Society for its outstanding contribution to Spenser studies.