The first book ever printed in English was titled “The Recuyell of the Historyes of Troye”. This was way back in 1473 in Bruges.
The text was translated and printed by William Caxton, who was the first Englishman to ever use a printing press. The book was a compilation of stories about the Trojan Wars, written by Raoul Leferve.
A presentation copy of the first edition included a specially made engraving showing William Caxton presenting the book to Margaret of York (the sister of King Edward IV). This now resides in the Huntingdon Library in California.
Only 18 copies of the book now remain. A copy was sold in 2014 by the Duke of Northumberland…it sold for £1,000,000.00
References:
- British Library: http://www.bl.uk/learning/timeline/item126577.html
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recuyell_of_the_Historyes_of_Troye
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