Early Printed BooksDuff, E. Gordon (Edward Gordon)
History
Early Printed Books
Duff, E. Gordon (Edward Gordon)
Incunabula -- Bibliography; Printing -- History -- Origin and antecedents
In 1489, Caxton printed two editions of an indulgence of great
typographical interest. This indulgence was first noticed by Dr.
Cotton, who mentions it in his _Typographical Gazetteer_ under Oxford,
supposing it to have been printed at that place. Bradshaw, on seeing a
photograph of it, at once conjectured from the form and appearance of
the type that it was printed by Caxton, though Blades refused to accept
it as a product of his press without further proof, and it was never
admitted into any of his books on Caxton. The same type was afterwards
found by Bradshaw used for sidenotes in the 1494 edition of the
_Speculum Vite Christi_, printed by W. de Worde, and the type being in
his possession at that date, could have belonged in 1489 to no one but
Caxton.
In a list of Caxton’s types this type would be known as type 7.
In addition to these two indulgences, a number of books may be assigned
to this year. The _Fayttes of Arms_ is dated; but besides this there
are the _Statutes of Henry VII._, the _Governayle of Health_, the _Four
Sons of Aymon_, _Blanchardyn and Eglantyne_, _Directorium Sacerdotum_,
second edition, the third edition of the _Dictes or Sayengis_, the
_Doctrinal of Sapience_, and an _Image of Pity_ printed on one leaf.
The second edition of _Reynard the Fox_, known only from the copy
preserved in the Pepysian Library, may also be assigned to this year.
With the exception of the _Eneydos_, the remainder of Caxton’s books
are of a religious or liturgical character. Amongst them we must
class an edition probably of the _Horæ ad usum Sarum_ not mentioned
by Blades; for though no copy or even fragment is now known, it is
certain that such a book was printed. A set-off from a page of it was
discovered by Bradshaw on a waste sheet of the _Fifteen Oes_. All that
could be certainly distinguished was that it was printed in type 5,
that there were twenty-two lines to a page, and that each page was
surrounded by a border.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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