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
After 1516 we find no further mention of Mylner. He was then only about
thirty-five years old and may possibly have moved elsewhere; but no
trace of him is found. From this time onwards to 1533 almost the whole
York book-trade was in the hands of John Gachet, a stationer from
France. Gachet’s name is first found in 1509, when, in partnership with
another stationer, Jacques Ferrebouc, he commissioned Wynkyn de Worde
to print for him an edition of the York _Manual_. This _Manual_ is a
very curious book. The colophon states clearly that it was printed in
London by Wynkyn de Worde dwelling in the street called Fleet Street
at the sign of the Sun, or in St Paul’s Churchyard under the image of
Our Lady of Pity, for John Gachet and James Ferrebouc, partners. In
spite of this assertion it is plain that the book was printed abroad.
The paper, the type of the text and music staves, the illustrations,
all are obviously foreign, and the particular device of De Worde on
the title-page is only found in books printed for him in Paris. The
colophon unfortunately does not state where Gachet and Ferrebouc were
living, but the latter was certainly just before and after 1509 in
Paris. Perhaps Gachet may have been the travelling member of the firm
and have journeyed as far as York on his business tours. By 1514 he
was certainly settled there, for in that year he was admitted a brother
of the Corpus Christi Guild. In 1516 and 1517 he published a series of
service books, a _Missal_, a _Processional_, a _Manual_, a _Hymnal_,
and a _Book of Hours_.
The _Missal_ is a fine folio of 200 leaves, and there is a perfect copy
with two leaves printed on vellum, which formerly belonged to Bishop
Moore, in the University Library. Another copy, slightly imperfect,
was given to Pembroke College Library by the Master, Bishop Launcelot
Andrews, in 1589. Besides these, five other copies are known. The
initial M of the word Missale on the title-page is a very large and
elaborate letter, having a scroll up the centre limb on which is
engraved the printer’s name M. P. Holivier. Similar ornamental letters
containing their names were used by other Rouen printers, such as Morin.
The _Processional_ is without date, and the colophon states that it was
printed at Rouen by Olivier for John Gachet, alias de France. A copy
of this edition is at Ripon, and there are perhaps others; but both Dr
Henderson, in his list of York service books, and Davies have mixed up
this edition with the later dated edition of 1530.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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