Title Page
At the bottom of the decorated title page inserted before the Dedication are two notes in nineteenth-century hands questioning the date 1485 in the title. Both refer to the typeface. One note is followed by the initial W; perhaps it was written by William Blades who was the first to systematically study Caxton’s typefaces.back to note source
Dedication, Paragraph 1
Unto. So R. The first page of Caxton’s print has an original woodcut border embellished by rubrication, including the title Dedication written at the top of the page in a professional Roman script with flourishes. See the Introduction to Blanchardyn and Eglantine, p. 147, for discussion of the book’s ornamentation format.back to note source
Wyllyam Caxton. So R. In the right margin, a star has been written in black ink opposite the name.back to note source
prynce. So R. In the bottom margin below this line, Wyllyam Caxton is written in Roman letters. To the left of this, The Printers Name is written in script.back to note source
Dedication, Paragraph 3
Amen. So R. At the bottom of the page, a name, perhaps Symon, is written in brown ink followed by the numbers 1.6.6; part of another inscription is visible at the lower edge. See the Introduction to Blanchardyn and Eglantine, pp. 147–48, for discussion of the book’s evidence of early readers and owners.back to note source