This volume investigates the life and literary contributions of Nicholas Grimald, a significant yet often overlooked figure in the development of English Renaissance poetry. L. R. Merrill utilizes archival research and textual analysis to reconstruct Grimald's biography, situating his work within the broader context of sixteenth-century humanism and the evolution of the English lyric. The study serves as both a scholarly recovery of his personal history and a critical examination of his poetic output, particularly his contributions to Tottel's Miscellany.

This work is regarded as a foundational academic resource for students and scholars of sixteenth-century English literature. The text provides a dense, specialized analysis that remains a standard reference for those researching the minor poets of the Tudor period.