English in Print from Caxton to Shakespeare to Milton

by Valerie R. Hotchkiss, Fred C. Robinson

English in Print from Caxton to Shakespeare to Milton examines the history of early English books, exploring the concept of putting the English language into print with close study of the texts, the formats, the audiences, and the functions of English books. Lavishly illustrated with more than 130 full-color images of stunning rare books, this volume investigates a full range of issues regarding the dissemination of English language and culture through printed works, including the standardization of typography, grammar, and spelling; the appearance of popular literature; and the development of school grammars and dictionaries. Valerie Hotchkiss and Fred C. Robinson provide engaging descriptions of more than a hundred early English books drawn from the Rare Book and Manuscript Library at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and the Elizabethan Club of Yale University. The study nearly mirrors the chronological coverage of Pollard and Redgrave's famous Short-Title Catalogue (1475-1640), beginning with William Caxton, England's first printer, and ending with John Milton, the English language's most eloquent defender of the freedom of the press in his Areopagitica of 1644. William Shakespeare, neither a printer nor a writer much concerned with publishing his own plays, nonetheless deserves his central place in this study because Shakespeare imprints, and Renaissance drama in general, provide a fascinating window on the world of English printing in the period between Caxton and Milton.

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Brackman1066 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a catalogue from an exhibit that the University of Illinois put on with the Elizabethan Club of Harvard. Fred Robinson wrote an excellent introduction to early print, then the rest of the book discusses important artifacts from the two collections (mostly from Urbana). This not only is a great introduction to the history of printing, it provides thoughtful discussion of several key artifacts.