Today in 1481, William Caxton published his own translation of Gautier de Metz's 1246 encyclopaedia "L'image du monde", under the English title "The Mirrour of the World". It was printed at the request and expense of Hugh Bryce, a mercer and alderman of the city of London, who planned to present the book to Lord Hastings, Edward IV's Lord Chamberlain, as a way, presumably, of advancing his own position. Gautier's book was itself an extension, in many places a mere copy, of the 12th century "Imago mundi", compiled by one Honorius Augustodunensis. The illustration is from Caxton's 2nd edition in 1489, now at the Glasgow University Library.
Why was this significant? I had imagined spending some weeks researching this extraordinary man, who brought printing to England, published Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales", translated books himself... the Adam of the trade, for a writer and blogger and publisher such as me. But now I know that I will never write this piece, because it would be pointless, because it would simply be a translation into my own words (probably, at times, a mere copy) of Tony Edwards' comprehensive and definitive piece, on the website of the British Library. You can read it here.
Why was this significant? I had imagined spending some weeks researching this extraordinary man, who brought printing to England, published Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales", translated books himself... the Adam of the trade, for a writer and blogger and publisher such as me. But now I know that I will never write this piece, because it would be pointless, because it would simply be a translation into my own words (probably, at times, a mere copy) of Tony Edwards' comprehensive and definitive piece, on the website of the British Library. You can read it here.
Except (update February 2024) that you can't, because the webpage appears no longer to exist. Click here for the full text of what is also called the "Mappemonde", and you will read at the top of the page that its significance lay in the fact that this was "the first work printed in England with illustrations".
Caxton was born on Aug 13, and did you know he wrote as well as publishing and translating others? See March 15.
Britannica, not Wikipedia, so I am confident that this is correct.
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