The English provincial printers, stationers and bookbinders to 1557Duff, E. Gordon (Edward Gordon)
History
The English provincial printers, stationers and bookbinders to 1557
Duff, E. Gordon (Edward Gordon)
Book industries and trade -- Great Britain; Printing -- Great Britain -- History
The Cicero _Pro Milone_ is known only from two sets of fragments
rescued from the bindings of books. Four leaves were presented to the
Bodleian in 1872, and four other leaves were found later in the library
of Merton College, where perhaps more may still be discovered. The book
was a quarto and was made up in gatherings of six leaves and probably
consisted of about thirty leaves. A page contains only nineteen lines
which are widely leaded. Though not found in other Oxford books, this
spacing was not uncommon in editions of texts without notes printed
abroad, and was intended to afford space to the student to write
glosses over the words.
This edition of the _Pro Milone_ is further interesting as being the
first classic printed in England, the next being an edition of Terence
issued in separate plays by Pynson between the years 1495 and 1497,
followed after a considerable interval by an edition of Virgil from
the same press. The English printers no doubt saw that it was quite
hopeless to compete with the cheap and well-printed foreign editions.
The _Latin Grammar_ is known only from two leaves found in a
book-binding, and they were acquired by the British Museum in 1872.
What book they came from is not known, but in 1871 they were in the
hands of Messrs Ellis & Green, and were described in the _Athenæum_.
From the frequent references to Oxford in the text, it has been
supposed that the work was compiled in Oxford. Stanbridge was spoken
of as a probable author, but Bradshaw suggested John Anwykyll, first
master of Magdalen School, who had been recommended to the founder for
his skill in a new style of grammatical teaching which had met with
general approbation.
After the publication of these four books, the type with which their
text was printed disappears altogether, but is replaced by one of very
similar appearance, and besides this, two other new founts came into
use. This activity may perhaps be explained by the theory that Thomas
Hunte, the Oxford stationer, had entered into partnership with Rood.
In the Alexander de Hales of 1481 we find Rood’s name alone, while in
the only book of the last group which contains a full colophon, the
Phalaris of 1485, the names of both are given. To Hunte’s influence
may perhaps be traced the acquisition of a fount of type of much more
English appearance, and probably, since it contained a w, intended for
use in English books.
To the years 1483 and 1484 six books may be ascribed. Two editions of
Anwykyll’s grammar, Hampole on Job, a work on Logic, the _Provincial
Constitutions_ of England with the commentary of William Lyndewode, and
a sermon by Augustine on almsgiving.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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