This is the 23rd title in the Author Chronologies series published by Palgrave Macmillan. The series seeks to steer a course between the dry tabulation of events and the often prolix, diffuse and convoluted narratives of biographies.
The book gives a straightforward overview of key dates relevant to Marlowe's life and works. It charts the main events of his education, theatrical career, brushes with the law and apparent involvement in spying, and then continues with an account of the ongoing and increasing importance of his texts after his death, keeping careful track of the points at which various pieces of information have emerged about him. Where dates are vague, theories are outlined to enable the reader to navigate their way through the various pieces of evidence, for example, hotly contested dates of his plays and poems. Since Marlowe's plays often focus on real historical figures, details of their lives are included.
There is a useful introduction which draws attention to the special features that relate to Marlowe. The Chronology covers significant events in Marlowe's life and in the lives of his family; dates of events which are dramatised in Marlowe's works; dates of Marlowe's sources; landmarks on the literary scene during his life; and information about Marlowe's known and probable circle. The compiler acknowledges that she has erred on the side of over‐inclusion on the grounds that it is for the user to assess the value of some information. Thus material of unknown relevance is included because its value may become apparent later. Similarly, some negative evidence is included such as places where Marlowe definitely was not! This includes America, but Marlowe was fascinated by the discoveries being made there and they find resonance in his thought and work.
The Chronology itself runs from 70 BCE, the birth of Virgil (whose epic poem The Aenid was the major source of Marlowe's Dido, Queen of Carthage), to the publication of The Cambridge Companion to Christopher Marlowe (Cheney, 2004) (RR 2005/141) and The World of Christopher Marlowe (Riggs, 2004). There are two appendices: Who's Who in the Marlowe Chronology, and a list of Works Cited. Finally there is an index.
The value of this work as a reference source is illustrated by some examples: “1565, May 18th (Fri). Turks are sighted from Fort St Angelo and Fort St Elmo, which guard the Grand Harbour of Malta. This heralds the start of the Siege of Malta, which will later form the backdrop to Marlowe's The Jew of Malta. 1585, Mid‐April‐mid‐June. Corpus Christi accounts and buttery book reveal that Marlowe was absent from college during this period. 1586, May 23rd (Mon). A Richard Baines is assaulted on the highway by John Hartopp of Oxford, gentleman, and has a gelding worth £10 and 15 shillings in money stolen from him (see Kendall, Christopher Marlowe, 98). There is no firm indication of whether this is Marlowe's betrayer, the Oxford Baines, or yet a third man, though Kendall suggests reasons why it might have been Marlowe's betrayer. 1831 Publication of the first German translations of The Jew of Malta and Edward II.”
These chronologies are invaluable reference resources for anyone interested in their subjects. The presentation is clear and the detail impressive. They should be a basic source in libraries where there are students and scholars studying and researching Marlowe et al.
