Chronicles of England, 1st edn (Caxton)

Chronicles of England, 1st edn (Caxton): Edition Description

Summary:

    Author: Anonymous
    Title: Chronicles of England
    Place: Westminster
    Printer/Publisher: Caxton, William
    Date: 10 June 1480.
    Edition / Issue: 1st edn
    Main Language: English
    Note: Often bound with Higden's The description of England, dated on 18 Aug. 1480.
    Contents:
      Item 1: Caxton's Prologue [fol. 2a]

        Incipit: In the yere of thyncarnacion of our lord Ihü crist M. CCCC.lxxx. And in the xx. yere of the Regne of kyng Edward the fourthe Atte requeste of dyuerce gentilmen I haue endeuourd me to enprinte the cronicles of Englond as in this booke shall by the suffraunce of god folowe

      Item 2: Table of Contents [fol. 2a-8b]

        Incipit: And-I to thende that euery man may see and shortly fynde suche mater as it shall plese hym to see or rede I haue ordeyned a table of the maters shortly compiled chapitred as here shall folowe which booke begynneth at Albyne how she with her susters fonde this land first named it Albion endeth

      Item 3: Prologue [fols 10a-11b]

        Incipit: How the lande of Englonde was fyrst namd Albyon And by what encheson it was so namd IN the noble lande of Sirrie ther was a noble kyng and myhty a man of grete renome that me called Dioclisian that well andl I worthely hym goüned and ruled

      Item 4: Chronicles of England [fols 11b-182a]

        Incipit: And aboute midsomer after the year of our lord. M.cccc.lx. and | the first yere of his regne / he was crouned at westmynstre & enoy//| ted kyng of englond hauyngo

      Item 5: Caxton's prayer and colophon [fol. 182a]

        Incipit: whom I pray god saue & kepe & sende hym the acomplisshement of

Physical Description:

Object Description:

Form: Codex

Format: F°

Ideal collation: (ii-iiii)8 a-x8 y6. 182 leaves, 1, 9 blank.

Signatures: Signed to the fold with lower-case letter and arabic numbers except the preliminary quire, which is signed to the fold with roman numerals only, and leaf h1, which is unsigned. Signature y1 is not printed in some copies.

Layout description:

      Layout:
      • Columns: 1
      • Written Lines: 40
      • Locus: All
      • Overview: Appendage added on 18 August 1480: Higden's description of England. 'De Ricci lists 12 copies out of a possible total of 39 that are bound with Higden's Description of Britain (Duff 113), one of which is in its original Caxton binding (Oxford, Bodleian Library, Bod-inc. C-194, first copy). Caxton obviously aimed to sell these works together.' (BMC, 117)

Type:

Decoration Description:

List of Copies:

    • Copies as listed in ISTC
      • UK, London, British Library IB.55026, Chronicles only
      • UK, London, British Library IB.55027, fragments of Chronicles, bound with IB.55003 (History of Jason).
      • UK, Cambridge, Cambridge University Library, Inc.3.J.1.1[3492-3493] both Chronicles and Description, in two parts.
      • UK, Cambridge, Emmanuel College (3 leaves)
      • UK, Cambridge, Fitzwilliam Museum, one leaf only, of Chronicles.
      • UK, Edinburgh, National Library of Scotland (Inc.328: Beattie(1) p.199, 1 leaf)
      • UK, Glasgow University Library, (Hunterian), both Chronicles and Description.
      • UK, Liverpool UL (1 leaf)
      • UK, London UL (imperfect) Chronicles
      • UK, London, Lambeth Palace
      • UK, Manchester, The University of Manchester,The John Rylands Library, (2: R26166 (with variants in Description), 17316.2 (Description))
      • UK, Newcastle UL (1 leaf)
      • UK, Oxford, University of Oxford, Bodleian Library, S. Seld. d.4. Almost perfect, both Chronicles and Description
      • UK, Oxford, University of Oxford, Bodleian Library, Arch. G d.15; C-194(2) imperfect, both Chronicles and Description.
      • UK, Oxford, Corpus Christi College Chronicles
      • UK, Oxford, St John's College
      • USA, Baltimore MD, Johns Hopkins Univ., John Work Garrett Library
      • USA, New Haven CT, Yale Univ., Beinecke Library (single leaf of Chronicles)
      • USA, New York NY, New York Public Library, Berg Collection (DeR 29.13 + 35.6)
      • USA, New York NY, Pierpont Morgan Library (Chronicles, DeR 29.11; Description [3], DeR 35.4, .5, .13)
      • USA, San Marino CA, The Huntington Library (DeR 29.32 + 35.17)
      • USA, Washington DC, Folger Shakespeare Library (Chronicles, -)
      • USA, Washington DC, Library of Congress, Lessing J. Rosenwald Collection (Chronicles, DeR 29.2)
      • Japan, Tokyo, Keio UL (Chronicles, DeR 29.5, imperfect)

Bibliography:

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