Original Leaf From The “Golden Legend”, Printed By William Caxton
1483. Single leaf printed in black letter on both sides on laid paper with woodcut illustration, 28.3 x 19.6cm (paper). Paper singed around edges, with loss to margins, slight crinkles, minor water stains, tipped to old backing. The Golden Legend, a “medieval compendium of the lives of the saints…is a massive folio volume, produced and translated by William Caxton, England's first printer...William Caxton (c1422–c1491) was a successful merchant who learned the new art of printing in Cologne. After publishing several books on the Continent, in 1476 he set up the first printing shop in England at the sign of the Red Pale in Westminster. Over a 20-year period, he produced some 100 works, many of them translations into English.” The Golden Legend is “one of the largest books Caxton ever printed, a folio volume of just under 900 pages produced on extra-large Royal paper. Described by Blades as his magnum opus - a 'tremendous undertaking' - it was expensive and difficult to produce such a large-scale work. Indeed, at one point, he nearly abandoned the project in despair. However, according to the work's preface, he was encouraged to go on by the Earl of Arundel who promised to take a reasonable quantity of copies when completed, and to pay him an annuity of a buck in summer and a doe in winter as some recompense for the effort. William Fitzalan, ninth Earl of Arundel (1417–87) was a Yorkist magnate; he was Master of Game south of the Trent, so well placed to make this offer…The book is lavishly illustrated with woodcuts.” Ref: University of Glasgow.
Item #CL206-1
Price (AUD): $3,300.00 other currencies