 "The Book of the Courtier" was one of the most widely distributed books of the 16th century, with editions printed in six languages and in twenty European centers.The 1561 English translation by Thomas Hoby had a great influence on the English upper class's conception of English gentlemen.The Courtier enjoyed influence for some generations, not least in Elizabethan England following its first translation by Sir Thomas Hoby in 1561, a time when Italian culture was very much in fashion.