Biographical Sketch of the Author. XXill 
writers of his time can enter into competition with Tusser. 
During the forty years from the appearance of the first edition 
of the “One Hundreth Poyntes” in 1557 to the end of the 
sixteenth century, no fewer than /hirfeen editions of his work 
are known to have been published. Yet all are scarce, and few 
of those surviving are perfect; a proof that what was intended 
for practical use had been sedulously applied to that purpose. 
“Some books,” says Mr. Haslewood, in the “ British Biblio- 
grapher,” No. iii., “become heir-looms from value; and Tusser’s 
work, for useful information in every department of agriculture, 
together with its quaint and amusing observations, perhaps 
passed the copies from father to son, till they crumbled away 
in the bare shifting of the pages, and the mouldering relic 
only lost its value by the casual mutilation of time.” Sub- 
joined is a list of all the various recorded editions, extracted 
from Mavor’s introduction and other sources. 
1557- A Hundreth Good Pointes of Husbandrie. Reprinted 
here (see p. 219) from the unique copy in the British 
Museum. 
1561. Thomas Hacher had licence for a ‘‘ dyalogue of wyuynge 
and thryuynge of Tusshers, with ij lessons for olde and 
yonge.” Ritson, though improperly, considers this as a 
different work from the piece which appears under the 
same title in later editions.' 
1562. It appears probable that this edition, though its existence 
is disputed by some, contained the original germ of the 
Book of Huswifery, as we find, on the authority of 
Warton, that in the preceding year Richard Totell had 
licence to print ‘‘a booke entituled one hundreth good 
‘ This was probably a broadside edition of the Dialogue found in the Book 
of Husbandry. 
