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
Oswen’s four editions of the New Testament, from 1548 to 1550, as given
by Herbert, seem to resolve themselves into one quarto edition dated
January 12, 1550. Of the Prayer-book there were certainly three issues.
The first is a quarto dated May 24, 1549. It contains an injunction
which “streightly chargeth and commaundeth that no maner of person do
sell this present boke unbounde, above the price of II Shillinges and
two pence ye piece. And the same bound in paste or in boordes, not
above the pryce of thre shillynges and eyght pence the piece.” The next
edition, a folio, dated July 30, 1549, has a similar injunction fixing
the price at two shillings and sixpence unbound, and four shillings
bound. It will be noticed that His Highness’s Council in their wisdom
decreed that the cost of binding a quarto and a folio should be exactly
the same, namely eighteen pence. The last issue, the rarest of all, was
a folio printed in 1552. Apart from Prayer-books and Testaments we
know of seventeen books printed by Oswen in the four years between 1549
and 1553. Seven in 1549, five in 1550, three in 1551, and two in 1553.
The first book issued in 1549 was Henry Hart’s _Consultorie for all
Christians_. This is dated January 30, but is probably 1549 rather than
1550, since the printer has printed at the beginning his newly-granted
privilege in full.
Six other books are dated 1549. Of these three, Hegendorff’s _Household
Sermons, The Dialogue between the seditious anabaptist and the true
Christian_, translated by John Veron, and the _Spiritual Matrimony
between Christ and the Church_, are given by Herbert, but he had
apparently never seen copies and none are at present known. Of
_Certeyne sermons appointed by the King’s majesty to be read_, there
are two copies in the British Museum. Herbert quotes _A message from
King Edward VI., concerning obedience to religion_, as printed by Oswen
at Worcester, August 5, 1549. This is apparently another edition of the
message “to certain of his people assembled in Devonshire” printed by
Grafton in July, but addressed to the people of Wales.
The last of the year’s books was a _Psalter_ printed in red and black
and issued on September 1, of which there is a copy in the British
Museum.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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