Page:Plomer Dictionary of the Booksellers and Printers 1907.djvu/141

 plays, and had written in 1657 a dedicatory epistle to an edition of Marlowe's Lust's Dominion. Kirkman was now drawn into the printing of play-books, of which, however, he declares he only printed three, which were his own copies, but his partners (i.e.,, of the Angel in Cornhill, , of the Golden Key in St. Paul's Churchyard, and , of the Princes Arms in Chancery Lane, with whom he was then in business) printed the best plays then extant, though they were other men's copies. The owner of these copyrights issued a warrant, and one of Kirkman's partners, in order to avoid trouble, sold Kirkman his share, and a day or two afterwards sent the searchers to his house where they seized 1,400 play-books. At that time owing to a family bereavement, the death of his father, which took place between August, 1661, and May, 1662, he was unable to attend to business and never recovered any of the books. Being now left in good circumstances, Kirkman decided to give up business, and was induced to trust the partner who had before deceived him with the sale of his stock, but could never get any considerable return for his books. This person, who was undoubtedly Henry Marsh, died of the plague in 1665 considerably indebted to Kirkman, who, in order to recover his money, secured the estate. This accounts for the second imprint of the Princes Arms in Chancery Lane, where once more in 1666 Kirkman set up in business as a bookseller. In 1661 he had printed a catalogue of all the English plays then printed, 690 in number, and this he now issued again, augmented to 806 items. Kirkman was accused by his contemporaries of asking exorbitant prices for his plays and issuing corrupt texts, but Mr. Greg finds no confirmation of this. His name appears for the last time in the Term Catalogue of Easter, 1678. [W. W. Greg, List of English Plays; D.N.B.; Arber, Term Catalogue, i. 310, 554.]  KIRTON (JOSEPH), (?) bookseller in London; King's Arms, St. Paul's Churchward [sic], 1667. Smyth, in his Obituary, has this entry (p. 76): "Octr. 1667. This month Joseph Kirton sometime a bookseller at ye Kings Arms in Paul's Churchyard died; buried in St. Faith's."  KIRTON (JOSHUA), bookseller in London, (1) Foster Lane, next to Goldsmith's Hall, 1644; (2) White Horse in Paul's Churchyard, 1638-46; (3) Golden-Spread-Eagle, St. Pauls Churchyard, 1649 (1638-59). Took 