See also: 15th century in literature, other events of the 16th century, 17th century in literature, list of years in literature.

Table of contents
1 Events
2 New Books
3 Births
4 Deaths

Events

New Books

1501 - The Book of Margery Kempe (posthumous)
1503 - The Thrissill and the Rois - William Dunbar
1505 - The Passtyme of Pleasure and The Temple of Glass - Stephen Hawes
1508 - The Goldyn Targe - William Dunbar
1509 - In Praise of Folly - Erasmus
1512 - Fulgens and Lucrece - Henry Medwall
1513 - First translation of the Aeneid into English language (Scots dialect) by Gavin Douglas
about 1516 - Utopia by Thomas More
1527 - Historia Scotorum - Hector Boece
1535 - Huon of Bordeaux - John Bourchier, 2nd Baron Berners
1539 - The Castel of Helth - Sir Thomas Elyot
1540 - Historia Scotorum of Hector Boece, translated into vernacular Scots by John Bellenden at the special request of James V of Scotland
1541 - Baptistes and Jephtha - George Buchanan
1542 - The Union of the Two Noble and Illustrate Famelies of Lancastre & Yorke - Edward Hall
1545 - Toxophilus - Roger Ascham
about 1553 - Gammer Gurton's Needle and Ralph Roister Doister, the first comedies written in the English language
1559 - The Elizabethan version of the Book of Common Prayer of the Church of England, which remained in use until the mid-17th century and was the first English Prayer Book in America.
1560 - The Geneva Bible - William Whittingham, Anthony Gilby, Thomas Sampson

1562
  • Bullein's Bulwarke of Defence againste all Sicknes, Sornes, and Woundes - William Bullein
  • Gorboduc (play) - Thomas Norton and Thomas Sackville
  • Jack Juggler (play) - anonymous, sometimes attributed to Nicholas Udall

1563 1577
  • The Chronicles of England, Scotland and Irelande - Raphael Holinshed
  • The History of Travayle in the West and East Indies - Richard Eden

1578
  • A True Discourse of the Late Voyages of Discoverie…under the Conduct of Martin Frobisher - George Best
  • Euphues: the Anatomy of Wit - John Lyly
  • First Fruits - John Florio

1579 1582 1583
  • The Anatomy of Abuses - Philip Stubbe

1584 1586
  • A Briefe and True Report of the New Found Land of Virginia - Thomas Hariot
  • Historie of the Reformatioun of Religioun within the Realms of Scotland - John Knox
  • The Raigne of Edward III - anonymous, attributed by some to William Shakespeare

1590 1591 1592 1593 1594 1595 1596 1597 1598 1599
  • Every Man out of his Humour (play) - Ben Jonson
  • Hymnes of Astraea (poetry) - Sir John Davies
  • Nosce Teipsum (poetry) - Sir John Davies
  • The Love of King David and Faire Bethsabe (poetry) - George Peele

Births

Deaths