Edition No. 153
Day: Friday 17 October
Theme: The Invention of Printing
Writer: Buki Dina, 13U
William Caxton revolutionised English Language history because he introduced
England to the revolutionary invention of the 13th century, the printing press.
This was invented around 1472. William Caxton was born in 1422, Kent and
when he was sixteen years old he became an apprentice to a merchant. He then
went on to become a successful and important member of the merchant
community. In the early 1470’s Caxton spent time in Cologne learning the art of
printing. Then he returned to Bruges in 1472 where he and Corlad Mansion (a
Flemish calligrapher) set up a press. In 1476 Caxton returned to London and
established a press at Westminster the first printing press in England.
Amongst the books that he printed were Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, Gower’s
Confession and many more. During his lifetime, Caxton printed more than
hundred books, they were known for their craftsmanship and careful editing.
Asides from being a printer William Caxton, using his knowledge of Latin, Dutch
and French was also a translator and an importer of books into England.
The reason why William Caxton revolutionised English Language history is due
to the invention of the printing press, these texts were more accessible and this
dramatically improved literacy levels. The invention of the printing press was
the inspiration behind the re-invention of mechanical movable type printing
also known as woodcuts which led to a large increase in printing activities across
Europe. It was also the driving force behind the Lutheran Reformation. This is
because Martin Luther’s 95 Theses (which was nailed on a church door in
Wittenberg) were published. As a result of this his ideologies were widespread.
In my opinion the printing press is very important because as a lover of books I
could not imagine living in a world without books.