Seminar
9 July 2010
10:00 – 11:00 am
Cultural Collections Reading Room
Early English Printers and their Books
Ross Edmonds
In 1476 the Wars of the Roses were still wreaking havoc in England but, not to be deterred, William Caxton moved his printing press from Bruges to Westminster in that year, thus becoming the first person to print books in England. From this modest beginning we will trace the precarious and, at times, dangerous path trod by the early printers over the next 200 years. We will touch on the economic, political and cultural factors which shaped the printing industry while also bringing to light some of the individual stories of those early printers and publishers. Some of their more prominent books in the field of literature, philosophy and history will be available for examination including Holinshed’s Chronicles 1587; The Works of Geffrey Chaucer 1602; The Works of Ben Jonson 1640.
All are welcome to attend.
