To mark the recent acquisition of the oldest English-language book to be found in Canada, William Caxton’s 1481 printing of Cicero’s On Old Age and On Friendship, the Fisher Library offers these treasures for your viewing enjoyment. Issued from the presses of William Caxton, the first English printer, and his disciple Wynkyn de Worde, they remind us that what Gutenberg was to Western printing in general, Caxton was for the English-speaking world.
Also on display is a leaf from Caxton’s 1483 printing of John Gower’s Confessio amantis; the 1507 and 1527 printings by Wynkyn de Worde of Caxton’s translation of The Golden Legend, with Caxton’s woodcuts; and the lesser known Nova legenda Angliae of 1516 – all jewels of early English printing. Welcome to our celebrations!