1437425 1482. Polycronicon. William Caxton. Single Leaf.
10336.
Original leaf from Caxton's Polycronicon.
Printed by William Caxton in 1482 at Westminster.
Leaf printed by England's first printer, from the Polycronicon, a fourteenth century chronicle of universal history and theology, here translated into English. The present leaf treats of Plato, Xenocrates and other Greek philosophers. Of great significance. A superb leaf, exceptional both for its content and condition. Folio. 40 lines plus headline, black letter, numerous paragraph markings in red plus rubrications to headlines. 26.7x19.3 cm (10½x7½").
The author, Ranulf Higden, (12??-1364) entered the Benedictine Abbey of St. Werburgh, Chester in 1299. Higden’s The Polycronicon, his universal chronicle, iis written in seven books to mirror the seven days of creation as depicted in the Bible. This work provided to the literate population of 14th Century England, an original and vivid narrative of world history, beginning at Creation, highlighting in particular, the Roman World and its relation to Roman Britain and again, a specific focus on the Norman Invasion. Higden left off his narrative in 1346.