Peter Beal

Peter Beal is a literary scholar whose monumental work centers on the cataloging and study of English literary manuscripts. His extensive project, the Index of English Literary Manuscripts, 1450–1700, provided scholars with the first comprehensive overview of surviving materials from the period's key authors. Beal's meticulous entries detail a wide array of texts, from verse and drama to prose and correspondence, offering valuable introductory surveys of the extant materials. His research significantly enriched the study of English literature, offering an invaluable resource for understanding the period's literary legacy.