Willam Caxton

William Caxton (c. 1422 – c. 1491) was an English merchant, diplomat, writer and printer. He is thought to be the first Englishman to introduce a printing press into England, in 1476, and was the first English retailer of printed books.

His parentage and date of birth are both not known for certain, but he may have been born between 1415 and 1424, in the Weald or wood land of Kent, perhaps in Hadlow or Tenterden. In 1438 he was apprenticed to Robert Large, a wealthy London silk mercer. Shortly after the death of Large, Caxton moved to Bruges in Belgium.

Caxton was settled in Bruges by 1450. Caxton went onto became a successful in business and governor of the Company of Merchant Adventurers of London. At this time Bruges was a wealthy cultured city, this caused Caxton to become interested in reading and good literature. During his business travels, he observed the new printing industry in Cologne which led him to start a printing press in Bruges, in collaboration with Colard Mansion. He also undertook the translation of Recuyell of the Historyes of Troye. At this time Margaret sister of Edward the IV married the Duke of Burgundy, they moved to Bruges. Caxton became friendly with the Duchess. It was her who encouraged Caxton to continue his unfinished translation of the Troy stories, now known as the Iliad, which was completed in 1471.

first English retailer of printed books.

Caxton set up a press at Westminster in 1476 due to the heavy demand in his translation on his return. The first book known to have been produced there was an edition of Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales. He printed perhaps the earliest verses of the Bible to be printed in English, as well as chivalric romances, classical works and English and Roman histories. He translated into English and edited many of the works himself. He is credited with the first English translation of Aesop's Fables, in 1484. The rushed publishing schedule and his inadequacies as a translator led both to wholesale transfers of French words into English and to misunderstandings. Caxton is credited with helping to standardise the various dialects of English through his printed works. In 2002, Caxton was named among the 100 Greatest Britons in a BBC poll.