1540 in literature
This article contains information about the literary events and publications of 1540.
Events
- July 22 – Klemens Janicki is appointed poeta laureatus by Pope Paul III.
- December 13 – John Standish's religious work is printed by Elisabeth Pickering, the first work known to be printed in London by a woman.
- unknown dates
- *The first known book from the first printing press in North America, set up in Mexico City, is published, Manual de Adultos.
- *Sir David Lyndsay's Middle Scots satirical morality play A Satire of the Three Estates is given a private first performance.
- *Lazare de Baif travels with Pierre de Ronsard to Alsace, where they meet northern humanists.
New books
Prose
- Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo – Amadis de Gaula Book 1
- Hector Boece – Historia Scotorum
- Rösslin – The Byrth of Mankynde
- Georg Joachim Rheticus – ''De libris revolutionum Copernici narratio prima''
Poetry
- Tontada Siddhesavara – Shatsthala Jnanamrita
- Souterliedekens
- Sir Thomas More – Lady Fortune
- Girolamo Schola – Capituli di M. Girolamo Schola sopra varii suggetti
Births
- January 26 – Florent Chrestien, French satirist and Latin poet
- June 11 – Barnabe Googe, English pastoral poet and translator
- unknown dates
- *Pierre de Bourdeille, seigneur de Brantôme, French soldier, historian and poet
- *Rhys Cain, Welsh-language poet
- *Frei Agostinho da Cruz, Portuguese poet
Deaths
- May 6 – Juan Luis Vives, Spanish humanist polymath
- May 22 – Francesco Guicciardini, Italian historian and statesman
- October 5 – Helius Eobanus Hessus, German Latin poet
- October – Robert Redman, London printer