The boke of Saint Albans : $b containing treatises on hawking, hunting, and cote armourBerners, Juliana
History
The boke of Saint Albans : $b containing treatises on hawking, hunting, and cote armour
Berners, Juliana
Falconry -- Early works to 1800; Heraldry -- Early works to 1800; Hunting -- Early works to 1800
This was evidently copied from some MS., and ends with “¶ Explicit,” and
nothing more. On the next page we have the proper terms for carving or
dismembering beasts, fowls, and fishes, followed on the last leaf by a
list of bishoprics and provinces.
Having thus filled up all his leaves, the printer begins his third
subject on a fresh signature, and introduces the “Liber Armorum” with
the Preface (already printed). A long work on the “Blasing of Arms”
follows, beginning on sig. =c j=, and ending on sig. =f= 10.
This is extremely interesting, both in matter and in the very rude
woodcut representations of armorial bearings with which the text is
profusely illustrated. Except in one or two cases of uncommon tints,
these are all colour-printed, as are the initials to paragraphs. In the
Grenville copy, the pressman having forgotten to roll the “forme,” the
initials all appear in that semi-tinted state which would be the natural
result of such an omission. We notice, too, that where the coats of arms
require, say, three colours on one page, then the initials are also in
three colours; but if only one colour is required for the arms, only one
colour, and that the same, is used for the initials. Occasionally, where
a peculiar colour was necessary, a brush was used to insert that tint by
hand.
In workmanship the St. Albans printer, especially in the English books,
is much inferior to the contemporary issue from the Westminster press.
The types are worse, the arrangement worse, the presswork worse, and the
ink worse. From this point of view alone, the theory that he would print
for Caxton so much better than he did for himself, is not worth serious
consideration.
The Book of St. Albans went through many editions, particulars of which
are difficult to obtain.
1486. The Boke of St. Albans (Brit. Mus.).
149–. By Wynken de Worde “at the sygne of the Sonne.”
1496. By Wynken de Worde (Brit. Mus.).
15—. By W. Powell. “Imprinted at London in Fletestrete at the sygne of
George next to saynt Dunston’s Church by Wyllyam Powell.”
15—. By W. Copland. “Imprinted at London in Flete Street at the sygne
of the Rose Garlande by Wylliam Copland for Richard Tottell”
(Brit. Mus.).
15—. By W. Copland. “In Lothebury” 4to.
15—. By W. Copland. “In saynt Martyns parish in the Vinetre uppon the
three crane wharfe.”
1548? By W. Copland. “Imprynted at London in the Vyentre vppon the thre
Craned Wharfe by Wyllyam Copland.”
1550. By W. Powell. “Hawkynge Huntynge and Fishynge.” 8vo. London.
1551? By Abraham Vele.
15—. By Henry Tab. “Imprynted at London in Paul’s chyrch yarde by me
Hēry Tab” (Brit. Mus.).
15—. By J. Waley. “Imprinted at London in Foster laen by John̄ Waley”
4to.
1561. By Copland. In this year Copland was fined for “a book of
Hawkyng, Huntyng, and fyshynge cōtrary to the orders of this
howse—iiij d” (Herbert, p. 367).
1586. By E. Alde. 4to. (Bib. Dec.).
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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