On this day in 1485, William Caxton printed Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte Darthur. Caxton was England's first printer, and more than a printer: many of the 100 books and pamphlets he produced were his own translations, and many contained his own prefaces and epilogues, providing anything from personal details to literary criticism. Caxton also took responsibility for not only publishing what he thought was the best and most edifying British writing of the day (first editions of The Canterbury Tales and John Gower's Confessio Amantis), but for helping to clean up and stabilize the language ... FULL STORY »
