“These volumes are a mine of interesting materials for Elizabethan scholars, and will probably contribute to redeem some of Elizabeth’s ‘minor’ poetical works (the meters from De consolatione and her rendering of Plutarch) from neglect. Readers are presented with some original discoveries, such as the fact that Elizabeth used Erasmus's Latin version of Plutarch as her source text, and with very informative (but never obtrusive) footnotes throughout more than a thousand pages of text. . . . Janel Mueller and Joshua Scodel provide here a series of documents which will allow readers to acquire an unique insight into Elizabeth’s formative years.”
— Carlo M. Bajetta, Times Literary Supplement
“Janel Mueller and Joshua Scodel are to be applauded for making a genuinely new contribution to the field, by rising to the considerable challenge of a comprehensive edition of Elizabeth’s translations. These two handsome volumes complete a set begun by the Collected Works of Elizabeth (edited by Mueller with Leah S. Marcus and Mary Beth Rose in 2000) and the accompanying volume of source materials, Autograph Compositions and Foreign Language Originals (which appeared from Mueller and Marcus in 2003). The four volumes together will not only grace any bookshelf, but will engender much fruitful discussion: not only of Elizabeth, who may now take her place as a significant and accomplished early modern author; but also of translation, as an important literary art of the period which we are perhaps still only beginning to take as seriously as we should.”
— Helen Hackett, Journal of the Northern Reniassance
“With the publication of these two volumes, University of Chicago Press has now made available in modern English all of the writings of England's Queen Elizabeth. . . . A detailed introduction accompanies each text, and the voluminous notes identify classical and biblical references and comment on Elizabeth's handling of her sources. The translations span Elizabeth's entire life, from age 11 to near the end of her reign. The subjects that she chose to translate, and the nuances of her translations, provide a remarkable window into the political, religious, and philosophical concerns of this fascinating monarch. These are invaluable texts for anyone interested in Elizabethan history or literature. . . . Highly recommended.”— Choice
"[These volumes] will not only grace any bookshelf, but will engender much fruitful discussion: not only of Elizabeth, who may now take her place as a significant and accomplished early modern author; but also of translation, as an important literary art of the period. . . . For Elizabeth, her translations were evidently a place where she not only honed her impressive linguistic and literary skills but also thought through political issues. . . . For us, this important publication will enable significant re-assessment of a Queen whom we thought we already knew so well."
— Helen Hackett, Journal of the Northern Renaissance