The Most Ancient Books In Britain

In an age where we are now debating the advent of 'book vending machines' it seems hard to imagine a time when printing did not even exist.

The world's oldest known printed book was a seven page Chinese scroll, laboriously printed in 808 A.D. using wood blocks. However, it was to be centuries later before William Caxton was attributed with producing the first book to be printed in English.

Around 1475 Caxton, who had first become acquainted with the printing process whilst travelling in Germany, produced his own translation of a French romantic epic, 'The Recuyell of the Historyes of Troye.' He later printed a great work still reproduced in its thousands today, 'Canterbury Tales' by Geoffrey Chaucer.

Before Caxton came along with his printing press, many other books had been published in England, painstakingly written by hand, although records of these are more nebulous. They would also no doubt have been preceded by Latin codices, produced when the Romans occupied Britain in the first century A.D.

With Caxton came not only the printing press but an increasing production of works in English, since until the mid-fifteenth century reading was limited to little more than scholarly pieces written in Latin.

In terms of actual books, the great religious historian known as the Venerable Bede recorded his 'Ecclesiastical History of the English People' in 731. The final chapter of this famous work, written four years before his death, also give us an insight into the Bede's own simple life, showing his piety.

Later came the Anglo-Saxon classic, 'Beowulf', a breath-taking, lengthy narrative poem about a great Scandinavian warrior. The oldest version currently known to be in existence dates back to the late tenth century, although this is likely to be a copy of an even older version. 'Beowulf' tells the eponymous hero's bloodthirsty struggle with the ferocious monster, Grendel. Some historians believe the original manuscript of the poem could date back as far as 750 A.D.

Another work considered to be one of the oldest pieces of Old English literature is 'The Dream of the Rood'. Again, this is a poem, although its subject matter is less violent than 'Beowulf.' It is one of the earliest-known Christian poems, with the 'rood' of its title relating to the Old English word for 'pole' or 'crucifix.' Found in the Vercelli Book that was produced in the 10th century, many historians suggest that the poem itself is considerably older.

As for William Caxton, he worked on his printing press close by Westminster Abbey until his death in 1491. We can only imagine what he would have thought to a freshly-printed 'Canterbury Tales' dropping from a machine in less than ten minutes.

by: Phil Byrne

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