F leming, A braham

During his working life Abraham Fleming (1548/52–1607) wrote, translated, indexed, contributed poetry to, recommended, proofread, and edited 50 known texts, and as a ‘learned corrector’ for the printer Richard Tottell it is likely he worked anonymously on many more. Fleming was most likely born in Holborn, London, between 1548 and 1552. It is not known where he was schooled but he had a good understanding of Latin and a working knowledge of French and Greek. He attended Peter‐house, Cambridge, tutored by Dr Andrew Perne, from 1570 until 1582 and interspersed his studies with long periods spent in London working in the burgeoning book trade, initially as a writer and translator and later as an editor. From 1575 to 1589 Fleming wrote, contributed to, or produced 50 printed books, ranging from broadsides and pamphlets to folio books containing thousands of pages and covering a wide range of themes. His Calvinist beliefs were evident in his texts. In the mid‐1580s, Fleming was employed briefly as a ‘learned corrector’ or editor by the printer Richard Tottell. Printers and booksellers from the higher ranks of the Stationers' Company such as Ralph Newberie, Thomas Middleton, and Henry Denham (a printer known for the quality of his fonts) all enjoyed long working relationships with Fleming and some of his finer printed works, such as Diamond of devotion (1581), were produced during these associations. Although he was never an antiquary, Fleming is best known for his work on the second edition of Raphael Holinshed's Chronicles (1587). It was Fleming who compiled the third volume, known as the ‘Continuation’, which covered the period from 1576 to 1586; he also proofread, indexed, and edited almost all of the three‐million‐word, three‐volume text single‐handed. Holinshed's Chronicles was one of the last printed books on which Fleming is known to have worked; evidence suggests that he was collecting material for a third edition of Holinshed but this was never produced.