The reception of Geoffrey’s works in the sixteenth century is a complex matter, not least because their reception was intertwined with the reception of reactions to Geoffrey’s works, such as that of Polydore Vergil . What follows explores one small aspect of this reception, namely what we can learn from the surviving books and manuscripts which can be associated with Dr John Dee. At various points in the second half of the sixteenth century, several copies of the Historia Regum Britannie, both in manuscript and in print, either resided in his library at Mortlake or had passed through his hands ; in addition, on the basis of marginal notes and comments, his contact with other copies now lost (or not yet identified) can be presumed. However, our understanding of the reception of Historia Regum Britannie through the works which came into contact with Dee risks being distorted unless we consider them in the broader context of his collecting practices and more general interests ; for how he acquired copies of other works can cast light on how he acquired and used his Galfridian materials.