Caxton Celebration, 1877

Caxton Celebration, 1877 Synopsis

The Caxton Celebration of 1877 commemorated the 400th anniversary of William Caxton's production of the first book printed in England. It centred on an exhibition in the South Kensington Museum (later the Victoria and Albert Museum) of Caxton's and other incunabula, together with significant artefacts in the later history of typography, printing and binding. The organisation of the celebration involved many of the great and good of Britain, Europe and the United States, from librarians and bibliographers to writers, musicians and statesmen.

A leading light was William Blades (1824–90), whose two-volume biography of Caxton is also reissued in this series, and this catalogue was compiled by the librarian George Bullen (1816?–94). It is arranged in sections, from the start of printing in Britain to the most recent technological innovations, including stereotyping, electrotyping and photography, and provides a fascinating survey of the development of the art of printing.