Wynkyn de Worde
Encyclopedia
Wynkyn de Worde (died 1534) was a printer and publisher in London known for his work with William Caxton
, and is recognized as the first to popularize the products of the printing press
in England.
in Alsace
; the name by which he is generally known means "Wynkyn of Wœrth." Traditionally, he was believed to have accompanied Caxton to England
in 1476; more recently, it has been argued that de Worde actually arrived c. 1481, and that Caxton brought him to England to counter the competition of a second printer. (John Lettou set up a press in London in 1480.) De Worde improved the quality of Caxton's product; he was, in this view, "England's first typographer." In 1495, following Caxton's death in 1491 and a three-year litigation, de Worde took over Caxton's print shop.
De Worde is generally credited for moving English printing away from its late-Medieval beginnings and toward a modern model of functioning. Caxton had depended on noble patrons to sustain his enterprise; while de Worde enjoyed the support of patrons too (principally Margaret Beaufort, mother of King Henry VII
), he shifted his emphasis to the creation of relatively inexpensive books for a commercial audience and the beginnings of a mass market. Where Caxton had used paper imported from the Low Countries, de Worde exploited the product of John Tate, the first English papermaker. De Worde published more than 400 books in over 800 editions (though some are extant only in single copies and many others are extremely rare). His greatest success, in terms of volume, was the Latin grammar of Robert Whittington
, which he issued in 155 editions. Religious works dominated his output, in keeping with the tenor of the time; but de Worde also printed volumes ranging from romantic novels to poetry (he published the work of John Skelton
and Stephen Hawes
), and from children's books to volumes on household practice and animal husbandry. He innovated in the use of illustrations: while only about 20 of Caxton's editions contained woodcuts, 500 of de Worde's editions were illustrated.
He moved his firm from Caxton's location in Westminster to London; he was the first printer to set up a site on Fleet Street
(1500), which for centuries became synonymous with printing. He was also the first man to build a book stall in St. Paul's
Churchyard, which soon became a center of the book trade in London.
De Worde was the first to use italic type
(1528) and Hebrew and Arabic characters (1524) in English books; and his 1495 version of Polychronicon by Ranulf Higdon
was the first English work to use movable type
to print music.
His name lives on via the "Wynkyn de Worde Societyhttp://www.wynkyndeworde.co.uk/," founded in the United Kingdom in 1957 for "people dedicated to excellence in all aspects of printing and the various stages of its creation, production, finishing and dissemination."
by Terry Pratchett
.
Wynkyn de Worde was also the name of a friar in Sara Douglass' The Crucible Triloogy
,set in an alternate 14th century England.
William Caxton
William Caxton was an English merchant, diplomat, writer and printer. As far as is known, he was the first English person to work as a printer and the first to introduce a printing press into England...
, and is recognized as the first to popularize the products of the printing press
Printing press
A printing press is a device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a print medium , thereby transferring the ink...
in England.
Life and work
De Worde was born in WœrthWœrth
Wœrth or Woerth is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.It lies north of Strasbourg. Wœrth is known for the Battle of Wœrth, in the initial stage of the Franco-Prussian War in August 1870.-References:*...
in Alsace
Alsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
; the name by which he is generally known means "Wynkyn of Wœrth." Traditionally, he was believed to have accompanied Caxton to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1476; more recently, it has been argued that de Worde actually arrived c. 1481, and that Caxton brought him to England to counter the competition of a second printer. (John Lettou set up a press in London in 1480.) De Worde improved the quality of Caxton's product; he was, in this view, "England's first typographer." In 1495, following Caxton's death in 1491 and a three-year litigation, de Worde took over Caxton's print shop.
De Worde is generally credited for moving English printing away from its late-Medieval beginnings and toward a modern model of functioning. Caxton had depended on noble patrons to sustain his enterprise; while de Worde enjoyed the support of patrons too (principally Margaret Beaufort, mother of King Henry VII
Henry VII of England
Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....
), he shifted his emphasis to the creation of relatively inexpensive books for a commercial audience and the beginnings of a mass market. Where Caxton had used paper imported from the Low Countries, de Worde exploited the product of John Tate, the first English papermaker. De Worde published more than 400 books in over 800 editions (though some are extant only in single copies and many others are extremely rare). His greatest success, in terms of volume, was the Latin grammar of Robert Whittington
Robert Whittington
Robert Whittington was an English grammarian. He was a pupil of the grammarian John Stanbridge....
, which he issued in 155 editions. Religious works dominated his output, in keeping with the tenor of the time; but de Worde also printed volumes ranging from romantic novels to poetry (he published the work of John Skelton
John Skelton
John Skelton, also known as John Shelton , possibly born in Diss, Norfolk, was an English poet.-Education:...
and Stephen Hawes
Stephen Hawes
Stephen Hawes was a popular English poet during the Tudor period who is now little known. He was probably born in Suffolk owing to the commonness of the name in that area and, if his own statement of his age may be trusted, was born about 1474. It has been suggested that he was an illegitimate...
), and from children's books to volumes on household practice and animal husbandry. He innovated in the use of illustrations: while only about 20 of Caxton's editions contained woodcuts, 500 of de Worde's editions were illustrated.
He moved his firm from Caxton's location in Westminster to London; he was the first printer to set up a site on Fleet Street
Fleet Street
Fleet Street is a street in central London, United Kingdom, named after the River Fleet, a stream that now flows underground. It was the home of the British press until the 1980s...
(1500), which for centuries became synonymous with printing. He was also the first man to build a book stall in St. Paul's
St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral, London, is a Church of England cathedral and seat of the Bishop of London. Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site, founded in AD 604. St Paul's sits at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London, and is the mother...
Churchyard, which soon became a center of the book trade in London.
De Worde was the first to use italic type
Italic type
In typography, italic type is a cursive typeface based on a stylized form of calligraphic handwriting. Owing to the influence from calligraphy, such typefaces often slant slightly to the right. Different glyph shapes from roman type are also usually used—another influence from calligraphy...
(1528) and Hebrew and Arabic characters (1524) in English books; and his 1495 version of Polychronicon by Ranulf Higdon
Ranulf Higdon
Ranulf Higden was an English chronicler and a Benedictine monk of the monastery of St. Werburgh in Chester....
was the first English work to use movable type
Movable type
Movable type is the system of printing and typography that uses movable components to reproduce the elements of a document ....
to print music.
His name lives on via the "Wynkyn de Worde Societyhttp://www.wynkyndeworde.co.uk/," founded in the United Kingdom in 1957 for "people dedicated to excellence in all aspects of printing and the various stages of its creation, production, finishing and dissemination."
Published works
Books printed by de Worde include:- Treatise of LoveTreatise of LoveThe Treatise of Love is an English prose text first printed around 1493. Its printing was the work of Wynkyn de Worde, who took over William Caxton's printing business in 1491, and printed the Treatise before he began publishing under his own name in 1494...
- Vitae Sanctorum Patrum
- Bartholomaeus de Proprietatibus Rerum by John TrevisaJohn TrevisaJohn Trevisa , was a Cornish writer and translator.Trevisa was born at Trevessa in the parish of St Enoder in mid-Cornwall, and was a native Cornish speaker...
- Dives and Pauper
- The Book of St. Albans
- The Canterbury TalesThe Canterbury TalesThe Canterbury Tales is a collection of stories written in Middle English by Geoffrey Chaucer at the end of the 14th century. The tales are told as part of a story-telling contest by a group of pilgrims as they travel together on a journey from Southwark to the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket at...
- Contemplacyon of sinners by William Touris
- Mandeville's TravelsJohn Mandeville"Jehan de Mandeville", translated as "Sir John Mandeville", is the name claimed by the compiler of The Travels of Sir John Mandeville, a book account of his supposed travels, written in Anglo-Norman French, and first circulated between 1357 and 1371.By aid of translations into many other languages...
- Beves of Hamtoun
- Guy of WarwickGuy of WarwickGuy of Warwick is a legendary English hero of Romance popular in England and France from the 13th to the 17th century. The story of Sir Guy is considered by scholars to be part of the Matter of England.-Plot:...
- The Squire of Low DegreeThe Squire of Low DegreeThe Squire of Low Degree, also known as The Squyr of Lowe Degre, The Sqyr of Lowe Degre or The Sqyr of Lowe Degree, is an anonymous late Middle English or early Modern English verse romance...
- Robin HoodRobin HoodRobin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes....
- The Miracles of Our Lady
- The Rote or mirror of Consolation
- The Twelve profits of tribulation
- The Bowge of Court by John SkeltonJohn SkeltonJohn Skelton, also known as John Shelton , possibly born in Diss, Norfolk, was an English poet.-Education:...
- The History of the Three Kings of Cologne
- The Ship of FoolsShip of FoolsThe ship of fools is an allegory that has long been a fixture in Western literature and art. The allegory depicts a vessel populated by human inhabitants who are deranged, frivolous, or oblivious, passengers aboard a ship without a pilot, and seemingly ignorant of their own direction...
- Mundus et InfansThe World and the ChildThe World and the Child is an anonymous English morality play. Its source is a late 14th-century or 15th-century poem The Mirror of the Periods of Man's Life, from which the play borrows significantly while reducing the number of characters...
(1522) - Gesta RomanorumGesta RomanorumGesta Romanorum, a Latin collection of anecdotes and tales, was probably compiled about the end of the 13th century or the beginning of the 14th...
- Christmasse Carolles
Other
Wynkyn de Worde was the historical basis for the character William de Worde in the book The TruthThe Truth (novel)
The Truth is the twenty-fifth Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett, published in 2000.The book features the coming of movable type to Ankh-Morpork, and the founding of the Discworld's first newspaper by William de Worde, as he invents investigative journalism with the help of his reporter Sacharissa...
by Terry Pratchett
Terry Pratchett
Sir Terence David John "Terry" Pratchett, OBE is an English novelist, known for his frequently comical work in the fantasy genre. He is best known for his popular and long-running Discworld series of comic fantasy novels...
.
Wynkyn de Worde was also the name of a friar in Sara Douglass' The Crucible Triloogy
The Crucible (trilogy)
The Crucible is a series of three historical fantasy novels written by Australian author Sara Douglass. The series is set around the adventures of English friar and nobleman Thomas Neville – who finds himself caught up between the eternal struggle of the angels of Heaven and the demons of Hell, all...
,set in an alternate 14th century England.
External links
- Wynkyn de Worde Society
- N. F. Blake, ‘Worde, Wynkyn de (d. 1534/5)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Sept 2004; online edn, Jan 2008, accessed 12 Jan 2008