Wynkyn de Worde

(? - 1535)

English printer, whose original name was Jan van Wynkyn. He was born in Alsace and probably came to England with William Caxton in 1476. He assisted Caxton at Westminster and after Caxton's death took over his business. His independent work began in 1491 and continued until his death. At first he used only typefaces that Caxton had used, but to these he later added other styles. Wynkyn de Worde printed more than 700 books, including the first English example of music printed from moving type, eight notes in Higden's Policronicon, printed by Wynkyn de Worde at Westminster in 1495. In this edition the music was made up from printers' quads and rules. Caxton had printed an edition of the same work in 1482; but he left a space for the music to be put in by hand; in a later edition of Peter Treveris (Southwark, 1527) the music was printed from a wood block. (1495).





IVM: England Through 1635