A Biography of William Caxton : The First English Editor, Printer, Merchant, and Translator.

Cloth, 8vo, 24 cm, viii, 198 pp, ills, plans, portraits. From the blurb: "Commemorated in Westminster Abbey by a plaque, widely honoured all over the world yet, despite all his fame, little is known about Caxton's life. William Caxton began his career as an apprentice to a Mercer of the City of London, then went to Bruges where he eventually became Governor of the English Nation in that city, a post which involved looking after the interests of English XXXXXX the sister of Edward IV. Richard Deacon analyses the many prologues and epilogues which Caxton wrote for the various books he printed and from these builds up a picture of Caxton the man. Here and there the printer gives glimpses of his background, his problems, his opinions of his patrons, his early struggles with translating elegant French into English, then a crude and deficient language. 'Caxton introduced many new words into the English language, many of which are current today, and his adaptation of French words were sufficiently apt to become popular,' writes the author, adding "In this respect he played a remarkable role in strengthening the English language". Very Good in Very Good price-clipped dustwrapper.…