Baconiana

Primary Texts

  • The Francis Bacon Society Library    In 1956 The Francis Bacon Society placed their book collection on long term deposit in the capable hands of the Senate House Library at the University of London, also home to the impressive Sir Edwin Durning-Lawrence library. In 2000 a further much smaller deposit of books was also entrusted into their care. The Francis Bacon Society Library holds more than 1,300 books and pamphlets many with annotations from the hands of former Baconian owners including Constance Pott and Alfred Dodd providing an illuminating insight into early Baconian research and enquiries. From the collection around 34 very rare works relating to Shakespearean sources were printed in the 16th century and 280 works from the 17th century, including many first editions of Lord Bacon’s works. A further 164 of these volumes date from the 18th century.
    All in all, this special and unique Baconian collection is of inestimable intrinsic value and in monetary terms constitutes a very valuable asset of The Francis Bacon Society.
  • The Durning-Lawrence Library    Also at the Senate House Library is the home of the Durning-Lawrence library, bequeathed by the well-known Baconian Sir Edwin Durning-Lawrence, a British lawyer, Member of Parliament and prolific writer and supporter of the Bacon-Shakespeare authorship controversy. The library contains over 5,000 volumes and includes titles by Sir Francis Bacon, from the Essays of 1598 onwards and Shakespearean sources in early editions, books and pamphlets on the Bacon-Shakespeare authorship controversy. Also present are early editions of Elizabethan and Jacobean literature and play quartos, rare seventeenth-century Rosicrucian books, some early and foreign Bibles, several incunabula, and early history of the Elizabethan period. Important manuscripts with a Baconian connection supplement the printed books including a seventeenth-century manuscript of An Apologie of the Earle of Essex. The first four Shakespeare folios occupy pride of place.
  • The Oxford Francis Bacon    The Oxford Francis Bacon project is currently compiling a new 16-volume critical edition of Bacon’s Complete Works. Eight of the sixteen have been published so far.
  • Project Gutenberg, the original comprehensive source of e-texts on the Internet.
  • Hanover College contains another useful selection of early modern texts.
  • Luminarium.org contains a good listing of major Bacon works available. This site features an outstanding selection of renaissance and early modern texts, and contextual information.
  • The Huntingdon Library in California has an online catalogue of its titles, which includes many Baconian publications. Click the link above and search ‘Bacon’ or ‘Baconian’ for a list of titles.

Philosophy & Science

  • The Royal Society site features the continuing work of a society founded to advance Bacon’s scientific vision.
  • The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy contains a short online biography and a thorough introduction to Bacon’s philosophy.
  • Secret Teachings of All Ages     Manly P. Hall's extraordinary work is available to read online, featuring a chapter on the Bacon/Shakespeare question and information on subjects such as the Qabbala, Alchemy, Tarot, Ceremonial Magic, Neo-Platonic Philosophy, Mystery Religions, and the theory of Rosicrucianism and Freemasonry.