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
The result of this petition is not recorded; but it certainly
did not lead to the dissolution of the partnership, for in 1639
we find an elaborate agreement[49] between Thomas Buck and Roger
Daniel on the one side and six London stationers (Robert Mead, John
Parker, Miles Flesher[50], Robert Young, Edward Brewster, John
Legate[51]) relating to the sale of bibles, service books, singing
psalms, grammars and other school books. The large stock of these
books printed at Cambridge was bought by the London syndicate,
who guaranteed to leave sufficient copies in Cambridge to supply
the needs of the university, whilst Buck and Daniel undertook not
to print further copies of the books for the space of ten years
without the consent of the Stationers.
From the preamble of this agreement it also appears that John Buck
had assigned his rights as printer to Roger Daniel.
* * * * *
However difficult, not to say tyrannical, Thomas Buck's dealings
with his various partners, and however questionable some of his
dealings with the Stationers may have been, his name stands high in
the annals of Cambridge typography. The first Cambridge edition of
the Authorised Version was printed by him in 1629, a fine book with
an elaborately engraved title-page. In the next year two quarto
editions were produced, and these were followed by several other
editions during the next ten years. Buck and Daniel were so well
satisfied with their folio of 1638 ("perhaps the finest bible ever
printed at Cambridge") that they posted a notice on the door of
Great St Mary's Church challenging scholars to find a mistake in
it, and offering a free bible to anyone who should do so.
"The _Bible_," says a document of about 1655, "was never better
printed than by Mr _Buck_ and Mr _Daniel_."[52]
It was about this time, too, that the encouragement of the study
of Arabic in the university began. In 1626 Archbishop Usher had
endeavoured to obtain from Leyden matrices of Syriac, Arabic,
Ethiopic, and Samaritan letters for the use of the University
Press, but was forestalled by the Elzevirs[53].
[Illustration: TITLE-PAGE OF THE FIRST CAMBRIDGE EDITION OF THE
AUTHORISED VERSION]
Thomas Adams (afterwards Sir Thomas Adams, Bart., Lord Mayor of
London) had in 1632founded a professorship of Arabic and some
years later (probably in 1645) the Senate decreed, that having
established a press and such other apparatus as should be required,
they should devote their attention to the production of books in
Arabic, in order that the fruits of the Adams benefaction should
be handed down to posterity and diffused throughout the world[54].
There is, however, no record of Arabic printing at Cambridge until
a much later date[55].
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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