Caxton: The Description of Britain, A Modern Rendering

William Caxton

ISBN 10: 0283994363 / ISBN 13: 9780283994364

Published by Sidgwick & Jackson Ltd, London, 1988

About this Item

CAXTON THE DESCRIPTION OF BRITAIN A Modern Rendering. Marie Collins. Sidgwick & Jackson, London. 1988 First Edition ISBN 9780283994364 176pp Illustrated Hardback. This mint unread copy is bound in cloth covered boards with bright gilt titling to the spine, tight, white, bright and square. The unclipped dust wrapper is in mint condition. William Caxton who brought the printing industry to England was also an astute publisher. He made The Description of Britain available in 1480 by extracting the sections on Britain from a 14th century Middle English translation of the Latin Polychronicon and made it a best seller. His text has now been modernised and gloriously illustrated using woodcuts, engravings and illuminations from the period together with recent photographs and aerial views of contemporary Britain. Fascinating particularly the maps. Ref QQ2.

Seller Inventory # 014626

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Caxton: The Description of Britain, A Modern Rendering
• Publisher: Sidgwick & Jackson Ltd, London
• Publication Date: 1988
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0283994363
• ISBN 13: 9780283994364
• Binding: Hardback
• Edition: First Edition
• Condition: Mint
• Dust Jacket Condition: Mint

About this title

Synopsis

A fascinating insight into Britain in the Middle Ages and a vivid account of Britain's history from the perspective of the later Middle Ages

William Caxton, perhaps best known as the man who brought the printing industry to England, was also an astute publisher: it was he who made The Description of Britain available to the British public in 1480. Basing his version on a fourteenth-century Middle English translation of the Latin Polychronicon - or universal history - Caxton decided to focus on the chapters describing Britain. He extracted and rearranged these sections, updating the language where necessary. The result is The Description of Britain, which became an immediate bestseller.

Now, for the first time ever, his text has been modernized and made available to a twentieth-century audience. It provides a fascinating insight into Britain in the Middle Ages and a vivid account of Britain's history from the perspective of the later Middle Ages. We learn of her many and various marvels and wonders, customs and traditions, ancient cities and towns, kingdoms and bishoprics, languages and manners. Gloriously illustrated, with woodcuts, engravings and illuminated manuscripts dating from Caxton's days and before, as well as recent photographs, and aerial views of contemporary Britain, this beautiful book will appeal to all those who love the British Isles and are intrigued by their history.