Cordiale or The Four Last Thinges
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William Caxton set up the first printing press in Britain in 1476. Three years later, he produced this book, a meditation on death. Only three perfect copies of it remain. It may have been some comfort to its translator Anthony Woodville, Earl Rivers, who was executed in 1483, and features in Shakespeare’s Richard III. Only fourteen copies now remain, including just three perfect copies, such as the one shown in this exhibition. This copy was purchased for the city by generous donations from local businesses and people.
Reference: Cordiale, or the Four Last Thinges, 1479 (AQ093/1479)
You can continue to explore some of our rarest and most valuable items in the Treasures of the Library gallery.
