English Readers of Catholic Saints: The Printing History of William Caxton’s Golden Legend (Studies in Medieval History and Culture)

In 1484, William Caxton, the first publisher of English-language books, issued __The Golden Legend__, a translation of the most well-known collection of saints’ lives in Europe. This study analyzes the molding of the __Legenda aurea__ into a book that powerfully attracted the English market. Modifications included not only illustrations and changes in the arrangement of chapters, but also the addition of lives of British saints and translated excerpts from the Bible, showing an appetite for vernacular scripture and stories about England’s past. The publication history of Caxton’s __Golden Legend__ reveals attitudes towards national identity and piety within the context of English print culture during the half century prior to the Henrician Reformation. In 1484, William Caxton, the first publisher of English-language books, issued The Golden Legend, a translation of the most well-known collection of saints’ lives in Europe. This study analyzes the molding of the Legenda aurea into a book that powerfully attracted the English market. Modifications included not only illustrations and changes in the arrangement of chapters, but also the addition of lives of British saints and translated excerpts from the Bible, showing an appetite for vernacular scripture and stories about England’s past. The publication history of Caxton’s Golden Legend reveals attitudes towards national identity and piety within the context of English print culture during the half century prior to the Henrician Reformation. Cover 1 Half Title 2 Series Page 3 Title Page 4 Copyright Page 5 Table of Contents 6 List of illustrations 7 Acknowledgments 8 List of abbreviations for EEBO copies 9 List of abbreviations for physical copies 11 1. William Caxton and devotional literature 14 2. Caxton’s Golden Legend: the first edition 31 3. Caxton’s sources: the Legenda aurea, La Légende dorée, and the Gilte Legende 64 4. The Bible as hagiography in Caxton’s Golden Legend 81 5. England and the British Isles in Caxton’s Golden Legend 99 6. The late fifteenth-century editions 118 7. Sixteenth-century editions 147 8. The afterlife of The Golden Legend 179 Bibliography 200 Index 222 "1 William Caxton and devotional literature; 2 Caxton’s Golden Legend: the first edition; 3 Caxton’s sources: the Legenda aurea,La Légende dorée,and the Gilte Legende; 4 The Bible as hagiography in Caxton’s Golden Legend; 5 England and the British Isles in Caxton’s Golden Legend; 6 The late fifteenth-century editions; 7 Sixteenth-century editions; 8 The afterlife of The Golden Legend" 1 William Caxton and devotional literature; 2 Caxton’s Golden Legend: the first edition; 3 Caxton’s sources: the Legenda aurea, La Légende dorée, and the Gilte Legende; 4 The Bible as hagiography in Caxton’s Golden Legend; 5 England and the British Isles in Caxton’s Golden Legend; 6 The late fifteenth-century editions; 7 Sixteenth-century editions; 8 The afterlife of The Golden Legend "In 1484, William Caxton, the first publisher of English-language books, issued The Golden Legend, a translation of the most well-known collection of saints' lives in Europe. This study analyzes the moulding of the Legenda aurea into a book that powerfully attracted the English market. Modifications included not only illustrations and changes in the arrangement of chapters, but also the addition of lives of British saints and translated excerpts from the Bible, showing an appetite for vernacular scripture and stories about England's past. The publication history of Caxton's Golden Legend reveals attitudes towards national identity and piety within the context of English print culture during the half century prior to the Henrician Reformation"-- Provided by publisher