Richard Pynson
Encyclopedia
Richard Pynson was one of the first printers
of English
books. The 500 books he printed were influential in the standardisation of the English language. Pynson, whose books make him technically and typographically
the outstanding English printer of his generation, is credited with introducing Roman type
to English printing.
and/or a pouch
maker before he turned to printing It is possible that he is identical with one Richard Pynson who was enrolled as a student in Paris
in 1464.
He is also mentioned as being a bookbinder, although he probably did not bind the books himself. It has been suggested that Pynson at one time worked as an assistant to William Caxton
-–whom he called "my worshipful master" in the introduction to his Canterbury Tales, 1492-–but this is now considered highly unlikely.
Pynson began his printing career as early as 1492, the year in which he printed Alexander Grammaticus's Doctrinale, his first dated book. He had probably learned his trade from Guillaume de Talleur, a printer in Rouen
, whom he charged with printing at least two books in the early 1490s. It is likely that he took over William de Machlinia's premises after de Machlinia's death; it is also possible that Julian Notary in turn took over Pynson's vacated place in 1501.
During the first years, he worked in St Clement Danes
just outside Temple Bar
, but he moved inside Temple Bar in 1501, possibly because of xenophobic
riots but perhaps simply "[...] to be closer to the book trade, most of the leading men having their shops in the neighbourhood of St Paul's Cathedral
."
Pynson became King's Printer to Henry VII
(and subsequently to Henry VIII
) in 1506, an office that carried not only great prestige but also an annuity of two pounds, later raised to four pounds. Since this was a prestigious lifetime position, it is not surprising that he was naturalized in 1513.
or Missal
s. He is noted for being one of the first English printers to print a classical text – several plays of the Roman poet Terence
– and he was the first publisher of the famous Wayes to Jerusalem by Sir John Mandeville, a book that has been called "an ancestor of science fiction".
Other first printings by Pynson include popular romances like Sir Tryamour
and a translation of the German Narrenschiff by Sebastian Brant
. Considering that he was the King’s Printer, it is not surprising that the historically most important book he ever printed – the Assertio septem sacramentorum adversus Martinum Lutherum
(1521), which netted King Henry VIII the title of "Defensor Fidei" – was produced on behalf of his royal employer. Strangely enough, he never printed any travel accounts by Christopher Columbus
, Amerigo Vespucci
, or other famous explorers, although it would have been the logical thing to do since there were many versions in several European languages at that time – and neither did any other English printer of Pynson’s time print them. "The absence of a single English imprint is surprising. The same is true of works connected with the so-called 'alliterative revival', whose texts at that time no English printer touched.
Pynson's business attitude was fairly conservative; he does not seem to have been a great risk-taker but relied instead on steady-sellers. Literary patronage
, still important in the early printing period, was not an important factor for his press (Lathrop, 1922/23, p. 93). Like the other printers of his time, he used woodcut
s and initials, often of a higher quality than those of his competitors; the initials of the so-called Morton Missal of 1500 are among the finest ever to have been used in England at that time. According to Plomer, he had “[...] a large and varied stock of type”.
, Caxton’s one-time assistant, but his books were of a higher quality. He must have had assistants himself, but only two of them are named in his will: John Snowe and Richard Withers. It is interesting to note that he does not seem to have imported books, since his name does not appear on the Customs rolls. This suggests that he was not really a bookseller in addition to being a printer.
Pynson died in 1529 at the age of 80 or 81. It is possible that his son, Richard, was meant to take over after his father’s death; this would have been the normal thing to do in the Middle Ages
. Since Richard the son died before his father, the press was not continued as a family enterprise. It may be that Pynson sold his business to Robert Redman, his successor as the King’s Printer.
In sum, Richard Pynson seems to have been a very competent, quite risk-averse, and fairly successful printer. Judging by his will, he was moderately well-off but not as wealthy as, for example, Wynkyn de Worde
. Calling him "a systematic, careful man of business" (Bennett, 1952, p. 191) seems to fit him well if one considers that this does not rule out high-quality products; in fact, high quality is one requirement for successful business. And he seems not to have been without "a sense of style that raised him above other English printers of the fifteenth century [...]", so it is not surprising that he produced what has been called "[...] the finest book that had been printed in England up to that time", the Morton Missal of 1500.
What he probably was not is a man of letters like Caxton, something modern scholarship seems to be more forgiving about than that of the past. Nonetheless, Pynson was a more accomplished stylist than Caxton. Pynson favoured Chancery Standard and consequently pushed the English language further toward standardisation.
Pynson's usage of devices, title-pages, types, and other technical aspects lend support to the common image of him as a highly skilled craftsman and capable businessman who invented nothing but was quite good at improving upon innovations others had made before.
Printing
Printing is a process for reproducing text and image, typically with ink on paper using a printing press. It is often carried out as a large-scale industrial process, and is an essential part of publishing and transaction printing....
of English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
books. The 500 books he printed were influential in the standardisation of the English language. Pynson, whose books make him technically and typographically
Typography
Typography is the art and technique of arranging type in order to make language visible. The arrangement of type involves the selection of typefaces, point size, line length, leading , adjusting the spaces between groups of letters and adjusting the space between pairs of letters...
the outstanding English printer of his generation, is credited with introducing Roman type
Roman type
In typography, roman is one of the three main kinds of historical type, alongside blackletter and italic. Roman type was modelled from a European scribal manuscript style of the 1400s, based on the pairing of inscriptional capitals used in ancient Rome with Carolingian minuscules developed in the...
to English printing.
Life and career
Pynson was born in 1448 in Normandy and may have been a gloverGlover
Glover can have several meanings:*A "glover" is a maker of gloves.Placenames:*Glover, Vermont, in the United States*Glover, Missouri, in the United States; ZIP code 63646*Glover Bluff crater, an impact crater in the U.S...
and/or a pouch
Pouch
Pouch may refer to:* A small bag such as a pocket, teabag, money pouch, sporran, etc* Cadaver pouch, body bag * Diplomatic pouch* Electric heating pouch, medical apparatus, electric heating device for curative treatment...
maker before he turned to printing It is possible that he is identical with one Richard Pynson who was enrolled as a student in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in 1464.
He is also mentioned as being a bookbinder, although he probably did not bind the books himself. It has been suggested that Pynson at one time worked as an assistant to William Caxton
William Caxton
William Caxton was an English merchant, diplomat, writer and printer. As far as is known, he was the first English person to work as a printer and the first to introduce a printing press into England...
-–whom he called "my worshipful master" in the introduction to his Canterbury Tales, 1492-–but this is now considered highly unlikely.
Pynson began his printing career as early as 1492, the year in which he printed Alexander Grammaticus's Doctrinale, his first dated book. He had probably learned his trade from Guillaume de Talleur, a printer in Rouen
Rouen
Rouen , in northern France on the River Seine, is the capital of the Haute-Normandie region and the historic capital city of Normandy. Once one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe , it was the seat of the Exchequer of Normandy in the Middle Ages...
, whom he charged with printing at least two books in the early 1490s. It is likely that he took over William de Machlinia's premises after de Machlinia's death; it is also possible that Julian Notary in turn took over Pynson's vacated place in 1501.
During the first years, he worked in St Clement Danes
St Clement Danes
St Clement Danes is a church in the City of Westminster, London. It is situated outside the Royal Courts of Justice on the Strand. The current building was completed in 1682 by Sir Christopher Wren and it now functions as the central church of the Royal Air Force.The church is sometimes claimed to...
just outside Temple Bar
Temple Bar, London
Temple Bar is the barrier marking the westernmost extent of the City of London on the road to Westminster, where Fleet Street becomes the Strand...
, but he moved inside Temple Bar in 1501, possibly because of xenophobic
Xenophobia
Xenophobia is defined as "an unreasonable fear of foreigners or strangers or of that which is foreign or strange". It comes from the Greek words ξένος , meaning "stranger," "foreigner" and φόβος , meaning "fear."...
riots but perhaps simply "[...] to be closer to the book trade, most of the leading men having their shops in the neighbourhood of St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral, London, is a Church of England cathedral and seat of the Bishop of London. Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site, founded in AD 604. St Paul's sits at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London, and is the mother...
."
Pynson became King's Printer to Henry VII
Henry VII of England
Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....
(and subsequently to Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
) in 1506, an office that carried not only great prestige but also an annuity of two pounds, later raised to four pounds. Since this was a prestigious lifetime position, it is not surprising that he was naturalized in 1513.
Works printed
The output of Pynson's press was varied but limited in scope. He was recognized as an expert at printing law texts (e.g., statutes of the King) and also printed many books of a religious nature like Books of HoursBook of Hours
The book of hours was a devotional book popular in the later Middle Ages. It is the most common type of surviving medieval illuminated manuscript. Like every manuscript, each manuscript book of hours is unique in one way or another, but most contain a similar collection of texts, prayers and...
or Missal
Missal
A missal is a liturgical book containing all instructions and texts necessary for the celebration of Mass throughout the year.-History:Before the compilation of such books, several books were used when celebrating Mass...
s. He is noted for being one of the first English printers to print a classical text – several plays of the Roman poet Terence
Terence
Publius Terentius Afer , better known in English as Terence, was a playwright of the Roman Republic, of North African descent. His comedies were performed for the first time around 170–160 BC. Terentius Lucanus, a Roman senator, brought Terence to Rome as a slave, educated him and later on,...
– and he was the first publisher of the famous Wayes to Jerusalem by Sir John Mandeville, a book that has been called "an ancestor of science fiction".
Other first printings by Pynson include popular romances like Sir Tryamour
Sir Tryamour
Sir Tryamour is a Middle English tail-rhyme romance that was written near the end of the fourteenth century, the time that Geoffrey Chaucer was writing his Canterbury Tales. Like almost all of the Middle English tail-rhyme romances to have survived from this period, the author of Sir Tryamour...
and a translation of the German Narrenschiff by Sebastian Brant
Sebastian Brant
Sebastian Brant was an Alsatian humanist and satirist. He is best known for his satire Das Narrenschiff .-Biography:...
. Considering that he was the King’s Printer, it is not surprising that the historically most important book he ever printed – the Assertio septem sacramentorum adversus Martinum Lutherum
Martin Luther
Martin Luther was a German priest, professor of theology and iconic figure of the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. He confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517...
(1521), which netted King Henry VIII the title of "Defensor Fidei" – was produced on behalf of his royal employer. Strangely enough, he never printed any travel accounts by Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus was an explorer, colonizer, and navigator, born in the Republic of Genoa, in northwestern Italy. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that led to general European awareness of the American continents in the...
, Amerigo Vespucci
Amerigo Vespucci
Amerigo Vespucci was an Italian explorer, financier, navigator and cartographer. The Americas are generally believed to have derived their name from the feminized Latin version of his first name.-Expeditions:...
, or other famous explorers, although it would have been the logical thing to do since there were many versions in several European languages at that time – and neither did any other English printer of Pynson’s time print them. "The absence of a single English imprint is surprising. The same is true of works connected with the so-called 'alliterative revival', whose texts at that time no English printer touched.
Pynson's business attitude was fairly conservative; he does not seem to have been a great risk-taker but relied instead on steady-sellers. Literary patronage
Patronage
Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows to another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings or popes have provided to musicians, painters, and sculptors...
, still important in the early printing period, was not an important factor for his press (Lathrop, 1922/23, p. 93). Like the other printers of his time, he used woodcut
Woodcut
Woodcut—occasionally known as xylography—is a relief printing artistic technique in printmaking in which an image is carved into the surface of a block of wood, with the printing parts remaining level with the surface while the non-printing parts are removed, typically with gouges...
s and initials, often of a higher quality than those of his competitors; the initials of the so-called Morton Missal of 1500 are among the finest ever to have been used in England at that time. According to Plomer, he had “[...] a large and varied stock of type”.
Legacy
Pynson printed more than 500 books during his lifetime, more than 75% of which were printed after 1500 and are therefore not counted as 'incunabula'. He was not as productive as for example Wynkyn de WordeWynkyn de Worde
Wynkyn de Worde was a printer and publisher in London known for his work with William Caxton, and is recognized as the first to popularize the products of the printing press in England....
, Caxton’s one-time assistant, but his books were of a higher quality. He must have had assistants himself, but only two of them are named in his will: John Snowe and Richard Withers. It is interesting to note that he does not seem to have imported books, since his name does not appear on the Customs rolls. This suggests that he was not really a bookseller in addition to being a printer.
Pynson died in 1529 at the age of 80 or 81. It is possible that his son, Richard, was meant to take over after his father’s death; this would have been the normal thing to do in the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
. Since Richard the son died before his father, the press was not continued as a family enterprise. It may be that Pynson sold his business to Robert Redman, his successor as the King’s Printer.
In sum, Richard Pynson seems to have been a very competent, quite risk-averse, and fairly successful printer. Judging by his will, he was moderately well-off but not as wealthy as, for example, Wynkyn de Worde
Wynkyn de Worde
Wynkyn de Worde was a printer and publisher in London known for his work with William Caxton, and is recognized as the first to popularize the products of the printing press in England....
. Calling him "a systematic, careful man of business" (Bennett, 1952, p. 191) seems to fit him well if one considers that this does not rule out high-quality products; in fact, high quality is one requirement for successful business. And he seems not to have been without "a sense of style that raised him above other English printers of the fifteenth century [...]", so it is not surprising that he produced what has been called "[...] the finest book that had been printed in England up to that time", the Morton Missal of 1500.
What he probably was not is a man of letters like Caxton, something modern scholarship seems to be more forgiving about than that of the past. Nonetheless, Pynson was a more accomplished stylist than Caxton. Pynson favoured Chancery Standard and consequently pushed the English language further toward standardisation.
Pynson's usage of devices, title-pages, types, and other technical aspects lend support to the common image of him as a highly skilled craftsman and capable businessman who invented nothing but was quite good at improving upon innovations others had made before.