Imprint; Colophon

ID:

A14770

Production date:

c,1525; 16th century

Location:

In Store

A 'colophon' was an inscription or device placed at the end of a book, with the printer's name, the date, and place of printing. Colophons were used by printers to show that the work had been done by a reputable man and in a reputable fashion. This colophon, from a book of law by the printer Robert Redman, tells us that his business premises were located at the 'Syne of the George' without Temple Bar in the parish of St Clement Danes. The text itself, now missing, was an edition of ‘De termino sancti Michaelis, anno regni Regis Henrici Sexti’, which was published in 1526. The book contained law reports from a Michaelmas term in Henry VI’s reign (Michaelmas term is the first of four terms into which the legal year is divided and lasts from October to December). Redman specialised in legal publishing and in 1527 moved premises to Fleet Street near his main rival, Richard Pynson. A prolific publisher, Redman printed 203 editions between 1523 and 1540, and these included herbals, saints' lives and devotional works in addition to his main output of legal texts.

Measurements

H 257 mm; W 188 mm (overall)

Materials

paper

Last Updated

2024-03-14