The Maitland Quarto ― A New Edition of Cambridge, Magdalene College, Pepys Library Ms 1408

The "Maitland Quarto" is an anthology of some ninety-five poems, dating from the sixteenth century, and composed by members of the leading and influential Scottish Maitland family and their circle. They span a wide variety of verse forms (over sixty in total) and poetic genres. As well as reflecting the family's literary tastes, the poetry also speaks to a range of family concerns from the political to the amatory, including family identity and history, local and national affairs, and personal relationships and religiosity, with a strong moral emphasis. This edition presents the poems with notes and glossary; it also contains an introduction, setting them in their historical context, and discussing the main themes.