On This Day In History: William Caxton Printed His First Book – On Nov 18, 1477

AncientPages.com - On November 18, 1477, English printer William Caxton printed the first book in England. It was his book, "Sayings of the Philosophers" (Dictes or Sayengis).

Left: William Caxton - English etching, Granger Collection, New York - Public Domain; Right: Caxton's 1477 edition of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales.  Geoffrey Chaucer (author), William Caxton (printer). Image - CC BY-SA 4.0

A few years earlier (1471), Caxton came in contact with the art of printing in Cologne, Germany. He learned and practiced this art and translated the first book to the English language, namely Recuyell of the Historyes of Troye or ("Recueil des Histoires de Troye"), a French courtly romance.

In 1474, Caxton set up a press in Bruges in partnership with a copyist and bookseller, Colard Mansion, so he could produce print "The Game and Playe of the Chesse," a text in which chess is an allegory of life.

In 1476, he returned to England, where he used his experience abroad to set up a printing and publishing business "at the Red Pale " sign within Westminster Abbey's precincts.

Now, he could print his book, "Sayings of the Philosophers" (Dictes or Sayengis).

His customers were wealthy merchants and many noblemen who were able to commission several books of their own.

Caxton printed books included works of chivalric romance, history, philosophy, and an encyclopedia. Soon, Caxton managed to print most of the contemporary English literature, including Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales."

In the next 15 years, he printed 107 works, including 74 books.

He died in 1492.

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