A History of the Cambridge University Press, 1521-1921 — John Shaqi
A History of the Cambridge University Press, 1521-1921Roberts, S. C. (Sydney Castle)
History
A History of the Cambridge University Press, 1521-1921
Roberts, S. C. (Sydney Castle)
Cambridge University Press -- Bibliography; Cambridge University Press -- History
In the same year there was printed for David Owen, Fellow of Clare
Hall, a controversial work entitled _Herod and Pilate reconciled_.
This led Ralph Brownrigg (Fellow of Pembroke and afterwards Bishop
of Exeter) to invite Owen to his rooms and to catechise him as to
whether a king breaking fundamental laws might be opposed. The
Vice-Chancellor thereupon summoned Brownrigg to Trinity and after
reminding him that Owen's book had received official sanction to be
printed, suspended him from his degrees both for questioning the
university's privilege of printing and for propounding seditious
questions to Owen. Brownrigg recanted shortly afterwards and was
restored by the Vice-Chancellor, but the incident is interesting,
as showing the jealousy with which the privilege of university
printing was guarded and the limitations imposed upon free speech
even in college rooms.
More serious trouble arose out of the publication of a
controversial work entitled _The Interpreter_ by John Cowell,
Master of Trinity Hall. It was suppressed by royal proclamation in
1610 and all copies were ordered to be brought to the Chancellor or
Vice-Chancellor.
In 1623 Legge printed the first Cambridge book which contained
music--_The Whole Booke of Psalmes ... with apt notes to sing them_.
Upon the methods and costs of printing at this time an interesting
light is thrown by a document of 1622 entitled _A direction to
value most Bookes by the charges of the Printer and Stationer as
paper was sould_[34].
The finest paper is reckoned at 5_s_ 6_d_, the lowest quality at
3_s_ 4_d_ the ream; the former was used for Bibles and Psalms in
8vo, for which the charge of printing and paper is estimated at
13_s_ 4_d_ the ream, the cheaper kind for grammars and school
books, printed for 8_s_ the ream ("though the Londiner giveth but
6_s_ 8_d_ at the most").
Evidently the writer is seeking to show that the London Stationers
were making exorbitant profits on the sheets they bought from the
Cambridge printers, for he goes on:
If upon the first sight of any booke printed in England you desire
to knowe the chardge of the printer for paper and printinge,
Looke in the Alphabett what letter the last sheete beareth, then
reckon to that ... for example take Legg's Grammer, the letter is
O, so there are 14 sheetes in that booke ... if you will allow
them 10_s_ a Reame, that is ¼_d_ the sheete, it is 3½_d_ for the
Grammer in Quires, and now the Stationers sell them for 8_d_ in
Quires and so they get 4½_d_ in every eight pence.
Similarly the Stationers are accused of buying the Psalms at 12_s_,
and selling them at a price equivalent to £1 17_s_ the ream.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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