1482 William Caxton Incunable Leaf, The Polycronicon, England’s First Printer
$ 1963.37
Description
Printer: William Caxton Date: c. 1482 Place: Westminster, England Work: Polycronicon (Universal History) Binding: 20th-century fine press leaf book (Harold Hugo) This leaf comes with incredible provenance, please see below for further details Offered here is an authentic 15th-century printed leaf from a book produced by William Caxton , England’s first printer. The leaf dates to approximately 1482 and comes from Caxton’s English printing of The Polycronicon , one of the most important historical works of the Middle Ages. The original leaf is professionally mounted and housed within a custom 20th-century fine-press volume , created to preserve, explain, and honour the significance of early English printing. This is a genuine incunable , not a facsimile or reproduction. THE LEAF: Original Caxton-printed leaf on handmade laid paper Gothic blackletter type typical of Caxton’s Westminster press Visible age toning, texture, and deckled edges consistent with 15th-century paper Early hand rubrication - red initials/marks The leaf is securely mounted on a guard and has not been trimmed or glued , allowing margins and paper character to remain visible. ABOUT WILLIAM CAXTON: William Caxton (c. 1422–1491) was the first person to introduce the printing press to England and is one of the most important figures in the history of English language and literature. Established England’s first printing press at Westminster in the 1470s Printed the first books in English Helped standardize English spelling and literary culture Printed works by Chaucer, Malory, Gower, and major historical chronicles The Polycronicon was among Caxton’s most ambitious projects: a comprehensive world history translated into English, making historical knowledge accessible to a broader audience for the first time. Original Caxton books are now almost entirely held by major institutions. Individual leaves are scarce, highly collectible, and historically significant. ABOUT THE MOUNTING BOOK: The Caxton leaf is preserved in a custom fine-press “leaf book” , produced in the mid-20th century by or for Harold Hugo , a noted American fine printer and book artist based in San Francisco. This book is only 1 of 297, printed and handset in deepden type on mold-made paper. The binding is cloth backed board with Caxton monogram on it. This volume includes: A fine-press printed title page describing the Caxton leaf Scholarly explanatory text on Caxton and the Polycronicon Handmade paper Hand-set type with red and black ink A restrained Arts & Crafts, style binding with cloth spine ABOUT DR. MONROE (COMMISSIONER OF THE VOLUME): The present volume was commissioned in 1938 by Dr. Monroe , a private collector and bibliophile with a scholarly interest in early printing and typographic history. At the time, it was common for learned collectors—particularly physicians, academics, and antiquarians—to commission custom “leaf books” in order to preserve and study original incunable leaves that survived from damaged or incomplete early printed books. Dr. Monroe’s commission reflects this tradition of serious bibliophilic stewardship rather than casual collecting. Under his direction, the Caxton leaf was: Carefully mounted on a guard (not pasted down) Surrounded by scholarly explanatory material Bound in a restrained fine-press format suitable for long-term preservation The handwritten notes within the volume, as well as the printed contextual material, are consistent with early-to-mid 20th century antiquarian scholarship and indicate that Dr. Monroe intended this not merely as a display object, but as a documented historical artefact . The date of 1938 places the creation of this volume firmly within the golden age of American fine-press collecting, when early English printing, especially Caxton, was highly sought after by knowledgeable private collectors. This type of presentation was intentionally created to: Protect fragile medieval leaves Provide historical and bibliographic context Create a dignified, collectible object Such bindings are valued by collectors and institutions and are considered an appropriate and desirable way to preserve dispersed incunable leaves. Dimensions: Weight - 575g Height - 30cm Width - 23.5cm Thickness - 1.5cm
Item arrived much better than described and is such a privilege to own, ty as this probably cost you more to send than I paid (honestly, I expected the item to be of much, much poorer quality for the prise!), well packaged and shipped fast. would encourage anyone to buy from this person! A +++
I pressed wrong knob and declined your 1st offer by mistake , so thanks for agreeing same price , it was very decent of you . Kind regards and thanks , waiting for it to be delivered Tomorrow Ann
Beautiful! A piece of history in great condition for being 250 years old. Fast shipping with tracking was very helpful. Very pleased with kind and fast service.
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