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Mundijong Public Library

 

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Mundijong Public Library

Looking forward to my new position at Mundijong Public Library....

National Simultaneous Storytime 2013 @ Scarborough Library

"The Wrong Book"

Re-Think reading

Reading helps us fly.....

I was very surprised to learn the following stats from the National Year of Reading 2012 website:

Nearly half the population struggles without the literacy skills to meet the most basic demands of everyday life and work. There are 46% of Australians who can't read newspapers; follow a recipe; make sense of timetables, or understand the instructions on a medicine bottle.

Reference: http://www.love2read.org.au/about-us.cfm 

Then again this morning, when listening to the radio, I was once again made aware of our nationwide issue with literacy and learning skills.  Almost half of the Australia's community struggle to read normal everyday information. It must be so hard for a person not to enjoy simple pleasures in life, such as reading a book or magazine.

We, as a thriving community, must take responsibility to assist people with their literacy and learning issues. Instead of investing in other projects, the Government needs to address these vital issues and positively promote and encourage reading and literacy programs for all Australians. Educational institutions, and especially libraries should be actively involved to help promote and implement literacy and learning programs for everyone. Lets focus more on reading.... the important things in life.

William Caxton

William Caxton, English etching, 1816. (Source: Granger Collection, n.d.)

Introduction

William Caxton, the captivator of English print and literature was perceived as a protagonist of the fifteenth century.  He literally pioneered English printing from unknown territory into familiarity.  Not only was he seen as the producer of book, but he was recognised as a prominent cloth merchant, governor, translator, typographer, editor, bookseller and writer. Caxton published more than one hundred books between 1473 and 1492. Caxton’s printing craftsmanship, including his unique engravings, boasted high quality and precision.  His works were well known and sought after throughout Europe and later the rest of the world. This essay will discuss and provide insight into William Caxton’s life, his works, as well as the influence he had on English printing and literature.

Caxton’s life

The life of William Caxton can be seen, to some extent, as a mystery. In saying that, there is a lot of controversy surrounding Caxton’s identify, birth details, parents and childhood. Birth documents were not kept because “Caxton was not such an important person that they [the government] felt it necessary to record details of his life and work” (Blake, 1969, p. 14).

To accentuate, when studying early London documents in search of Caxton’s identity, Blake (1969, p. 14) came across different name descriptions, which created tremendous identification problems, for example, “William de Caxtone”, “a William Causton, tailor” and “William Causton, tailor and citizen of London”.  Moreover, Caxton’s surname was spelt in different ways, such as “Caxton, Caston, Cawston, Causton and so on, sometimes in one and the same document” (Painter, 1976, p. 2). However, one could interpret that the most pertinent spelling in early writings was William Caxton. Caxton puts it in his own words, “symple person William Caxton” (Hellinga, p. 1982, p. 14).

Apart from establishing the exact name identity, there was also the controversy of Caxton’s date of birth. No precise date of birth is provided in earlier writings. Blades (1861, p. 3-4) philosophised about Caxton’s birth date extensively and then finally asked the question, “When was Caxton born? ...if we assume 1422-3 as the date of his birth, we cannot be far wrong”. Blake (1969, p. 22) famous for his scholarly studies in the history of Caxton, also pondered over “a [birth] date between 1421 and 1424”, but suggested no pertinent evidence.  Dr Kippis (as cited in Blades, 1861, p. 3) further surmised that Caxton’s birth date was 1412.  Castor (2001, p.48) and Blake (as cited in Painter, 1976, p. 9) estimated Caxton’s birth date as between 1415 and 1424. However, it seems that 1422 is the more preferable date of birth. Caxton died in March, 1491 or 1492. One known fact though is that Caxton was born in Kent, England.  To prove this statement, Caxton stated in his own words, “I was born in Kente in the Weeld” (Blades, 1861, p.1).  Kent was a smallish village in London, and early literature does not specify the importance of this township.  

Then again, not much is known about Caxton’s parents, sibling and education. Painter (1976, p.1) states that “no records yet discovered have identified William Caxton’s father or mother or family”.  However when delving into history, the name Philip Caxton is mentioned several times as the father of William Caxton.  “William Caxton, son of Philip Caxton of Little Wratting” is mentioned in a few times in documents (Blake, 1969, p. 15). Caxton’s parents, Philip and Denise were described as good Christians who provided sound education to William (Thompson, 1976, p. 48). Caxton attended the Sevenoaks Grammar School in Long Barn and the Christchurch Monastery School in Canterbury. Evidently, Caxton developed his passion for writing and reading whilst attending the latter schools. Deacon (1976, p. 9) states that “the richly embellished manuscripts must have been like a trip into another world for a boy already fired by a thirst for knowledge”.

The literature also suggests that William had a brother named Thomas. Deacon (1976, p. 2) also argued that Caxton had a brother. However, early Caxton Charters, consisting of seventeen documents indicated that Caxton’s brother might have been Philip Caxton, whom was born in 1412 (Childs, 1976, p. 32).

Apprenticeship

Fresh from the country and scholarly studies, the fourteen year old Caxton started his apprenticeship in 1438 at the Mercers’ Company in London. Caxton was apprenticed to the merchant or mercer, Robert Large (Deacon, 1976, p. 10.) Large was a well-known and very prosperous cloth merchant. It is believed that in order for Caxton to have been appointed to this position, his father must have been an eminent figure in society. In saying that, records tell us that Caxton himself was a good scholar and his talents were recognised by Large. Resources show that when an apprentice is taken into the mercer’s guild of apprenticeship, such as Large’s, the apprentice (“in loco parentis”) is contracted out for seven years or more (Childs, 1976, p. 47). Caxton worked hard and learned all the trivia of cloth, including “woollens such as frieze, rug, kersey and cashmere: mixtures like linsey-kersey; linen from Ireland, cambric and fine lawn from France; silks, satins and samite; figured brocades and damasks” (Childs, 1976, p. 62).

Caxton also did stocktaking, including the delivery and receiving of stocks. It is highly likely that he got this job because of his writing ability and trading skills. For example, Caxton realised that English traders started off by trading “quill pens, ink, and ink-horns, parchment and paper” (Childs, 1976, p. 56). This realisation, equipped Caxton with excellent business skills, which paid off in his printing career.  Caxton’s “business experience and personal contacts profit him thirty-five years later in his second trade of printing” (Painter, 1976, p. 12).

Caxton was also intrigued by Large’s mayoral duties and street events. Witnessing these events made a tremendous impact on Caxton’s young life, and is recognised in his future works. Caxton apprenticed for three years with Large until he died on 24 April 1441. Large left Caxton twenty marks in his will, a significant amount in those days. Despite this event, Caxton was still obliged to fulfil his apprentice. It is not known if a new master was appointed to Caxton. However, literature indicates that Caxton went to Burges, which was the “centre for English trade” (Deacon, 1976, p. 27).

Merchant

After completing his apprentice contract in 1446, Caxton about 24 years old joined the Mercers’ Company in Bruges. He became a fully qualified member of the company in 1452.  Whilst working for the Mercers’ Company, Caxton acted as some sort of “freelance agent, trying to find ways and means of getting around the commercial laws which would not allow people to trade in their own ways” (Deacon, 1976, p. 29). Apart from Bruges, Caxton also travelled through other parts of Europe, including: Flanders, Antwerp, Zeeland (known as Low Countries) and Egypt. He was a successful and wealthy merchant, selling cloth, books and other items. Deacon (1976, p. 35) states that “on his return to Bruges from London in 1453, Caxton began to be increasingly important in his role as a Merchant Adventurer”. It was also during this time that Caxton got married to Maud Caxton in the1460s.

Governor, translator and writer

Caxton was not only well-respected as a merchant, but was also an eminent figure in the Court of Burgundy. In 1462, he became Governor of the Merchant Adventures in Bruges. During his appointment as Governor, Caxton gained a tremendous amount of knowledge in books and information. Caxton’s position required him to gather information on, “fluctuations in prices, market appraisals, forecasting the demand for various commodities and estimating their likely supply” (Childs, 1976, p. 84). As the Governor, Caxton realised that books were in demand, but expensive, it was only rich people that could acquire them (Castor, 2001, p. 12). Because of Caxton’s book knowledge and prominence, he was appointed adviser to King Edward IV. Caxton fulfilled all his governmental duties, but two years before his term ended  in 1470 or 1471, Caxton was occupied with “unofficial duties for the Duchess of Burgundy” (Deacon, 1976, 47). During this time Caxton was more interested in translating French manuscripts into the English language.  

It is noteworthy, that when Caxton took on his royal duties for the Duchess of Burgundy this triggered Caxton’s “love of literature and discussions on the problems of language” (Deacon, 1976, p. 49). One such problem was when Caxton was in the process of translating his first French manuscript, Le Fevre Recueil des Histores de Troye in 1469. Deacon (1976, p. 55) states that Caxton had “limited vocabulary in English”. He wanted to stop translation, stating “after that I had made and written five or six quires, I fell in despair of this work, and purposed no more to have continued therein” (Deacon, 1976, p. 50). However, after expanding his own English vocabulary by self-teaching, Caxton continued translating the French manuscript. He was eager to see the English version and stated, “I have practiced and learned, at my great charge and expense, to ordain this said book in print” (Caxton, as cited in Deacon, 1976, p. 87). He finished this translation in 1471. Caxton also translated Le Roman du Lancelot and Les Livres des Quatre Dames. Obviously, Caxton had spent long hours translating these manuscripts in the Palace’s library.  In addition, Caxton expanded the library stock, by acquiring and selling manuscripts.  One could say that Caxton acted as the palace’s librarian during this time.

It is clear that Caxton had an immense impact on the development of English literature (Thompson, 1976, p. xiii). Deacon (1976, p. 50) implies that without Caxton, “English literature might have stood still for another fifty years. Caxton helped to speed up the process of acquiring a national language of imagery, embellishment and style”. For example, whilst translating works from French and Latin into English, Caxton developed his own prose by borrowing words from these languages and creating a unique English style. Caxton also embedded poetry within his unique English prose to make the language easy to read. Deacon (1976, p. 56) states that “he came to influence a future generation of Englishmen as writers... he achieved a break-through in the language”.

It was as though he deciphered the English language, eliminating the arcane and obsolete dialect words, substituting French and Latin adaptations as he saw fit, almost like fitting out of a jig-saw puzzle and in some almost esoteric process bringing the languages of the continent and the King’s English close together (Deacon, 1976, p. 56).

Apart from developing his own unique form of English language, Caxton was drawn to romantic literature, especially the Age of Chivalry.  He loved to write about romantic deeds, such as The Order of Chivalry, Knighthood, Feats of Arms of Chivalry, The History of Godfrey of Boulogne and the Conquest of Jerusalem (Deacon, 1976, p. 57).  

Caxton, the typographer and printer of English literature

Hereafter, when Caxton’s term as Governor finished in 1471, he left Flanders for Cologne to learn about book printing. It is here where Caxton learned all the techniques of printing, including typefaces. Caxton acquired all his printing equipment from Cologne which he then took back to Bruges.

After his return in 1472 from Cologne, Caxton and his friend Colard Mansion set-up a press in Bruges and published Caxton’s translation of Le Fevre Recueil des Histores de Troye (1475), which was the first book printed in English language (Bibliography: William Caxton, 2010). Childs accentuates, “the first book that Caxton translated and the first book ever printed in the English language is The Recyell of the Historyes of Troye” (1976, p. 29). It is nearly six hundred years since William Caxton printed the first book ever in the English language (Childs, 1976, p. 13). Hereafter, Caxton printed his second book titled, The Game and Play of Chess, which was originally translated in 1475.

Literature indicates that if Caxton did not partake in the translation of French and Latin manuscripts into English language, he probably would not have been a printer (Deacon, 1976, p. 78). In saying this, William Caxton did not invent printing as some suggest.  Many believe that Johannes Gutenberg from Mainz invented printing, but in actual fact it was the ancient Chinese that first printed on block books. Nevertheless, it was Caxton that brought print to England in the English language, which then escalated to the rest of the world.

Caxton left Bruges and moved to England where, along with his foreman Wynkyn de Worde, he established his press at Westminster Abbey in 1476 (Childs, 1976, p. 56).  In 1476, Caxton printed his first folio, a small quarto children’s book titled, The Canterbury Tales. In 1477, Caxton printed “The Dictes or Sayengis of the Philosophers, the first book to be printed in England with a date and place of printing” (Eason & Rookledge, 1991, p.48). One could surmise that this was the first proper published book with cataloguing elements.

Caxton also employed a typographer, Johannes Veldener, who designed at least three typefaces according to Caxton’s instruction and printing techniques. These types where used in earlier Westminster works. Moreover, Caxton designed a forth type face in 1480 (Eason & Rookledge, 1991, p. 48). 

Caxton’s works

In addition, Caxton printed more than one hundred books, of which seventy-four were printed in the English language. According to Thompson (1976, p. xiii) “it was Caxton, too, who laid the foundation for scholarship in British bookmaking, [including binding]”.Caxton translated and edited twenty-two of his own works in the English language (Bottom, 1984, p. 62). He also printed chivalric romances, history and ethic books, including the first illustrated English language encyclopaedia in 1481. Some of Caxton’s works include:

·         Cantebury Tales (1476)

·         The History of Jason (1477)

·         Chaucer's translation of Boethius (1478)

·         Game of Chess (1482 – reproduction)

·         The Siege of Rhodes (1482)

·         The Golden Legend (1483) by Jacopo da Voragine

·         Aesop's Fables (1484)

·         Troilus and Criseyde (1484)

·         Confessioamantis by John Gower

·         Morte d'Arthur or Morte Darthur (1485) by Sir Thomas Malory

·         Book of Good Manners (1487)

·         Faits d'armes et de chevalrie of Christine de Pisan, which he printed in 1489 (by request from King Henry VII)

·         History of Blanchardin and Eglantine (1489) (Bibliography: William Caxton, 2010; Blake, 1985, p. 15-56; Norris, 2006, p. 68)

Apart from these works, Caxton also printed English language and literature guidebooks, as well as the first advertisement in England.  According to Blake (1969, p. 223) the advertisement on religious festivals was ironically addressed to “both laymen and clerics, for nobles and merchants”.  One could say that Caxton developed this advertisement based on his earlier experiences as a merchant.   

Before Caxton’s death in 1491, he translated his last book, Vitas partum (Hellinga, 1982, p. 16). Caxton’s press was taken over by his foreman, Wynkyn de Worde who continued his memorable legacy. 

Conclusion

It is clear that Caxton came from an indeterminate past, with many gaps and questions still unanswered. However, the literature provides insight into his life as an apprentice, merchant, governor, translator, typographer, editor and printer. Irrefutably, his eagerness to establish English printing and literature in England played a significant role in his life and works.  One could gather that without Caxton’s translations, literature development and printing dedication the English language in print form would not have excelled. Twenty-first century printing may have superseded Caxton’s pioneer printing techniques, but the same basics still apply today.    

Bibliography

Biography: William Caxton. (2010). Retrieved August, 20, 2010, from http://www.answers.com/topic/william-caxton

Blades, W. (1861).  The life and typography of William Caxton, England's first printer, with evidence of his typographical connection with Colard Mansion, the printer at Bruges. London: Joseph Lilly.

Blake, N. F. (1969). Caxton and his world. London: Andre Deutsch.

Blake, N.F. (1985). William Caxton: A bibliographical guide. London: Garland Publishing.

Bottom, O. (1984). Strange and mervayllous historyes: William Caxton, first English printer. Children's Literature Association Quarterly, 9(2), 62-63. Retrieved August 20, 2010, from Project MUSE database.

Castor, H. (2001). William Caxton. London: Franklin Watts.

Childs, E. L. (1976). William Caxton: A portrait in a background. London: Northwood Publications.

Deacon, R. (1976). A biography of William Caxton: The first English editor, printer, merchant, and translator. London: Muller.

Eason, R., & Rookledge, S. (1991). Rookledge’s international handbook of type designers: A biographical directory. Carshalton Beeches, Surrey, England: Sarema Press.

Granger Collection. (n.d.). William Caxton [Image]. Retrieved August 20, 2010, from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic-art/100766/15584/William-Caxton-English-etching-1816

Hellinga, L. (1982). Caxton in focus: The beginning of printing in England. London: British Library Reference Division.

Maclise, D. (1956). Caxton showing the first specimen of his printing to King Edward IV and Queen Elizabeth at the Almonry, Westminster [Image].  Retrieved August 20, 2010, from http://www.answers.com/topic/william-caxton

Norris, R. (2006). Minor sources in Caxton's Roman War. Studies in Philology, 103(1), 68-87.  Retrieved July 28, 2010, from Academic Research Library.

Painter, G. D. (1976). William Caxton: A quincentenary biography of England’s first printer. London: Chatto & Windus.

Thompson, S. O. (1976). Caxton: An American contribution to the quincentenary celebration. In J. Lawton (Ed.), Caxton’s autograph? (pp. 13-19). New York: Typophiles.

Life and libraries

Out of chaotic lives there are always libraries



Oh wow, it has been a while since I blogged, but then I had a few reasons. As you know, life is busy (actually chaotic), studies are full-on, work....you know, family commitments are there, friends are busy, you are busy, time is always a worry .....and so on. Mind you, I am still staying busy.....

But then, I was thinking today, truly if one was not busy, one would be bored, maybe tired, maybe sleepy, maybe grumpy or maybe not. Every person experience different levels of  boredomness, right? I might add, it would be nice in a while (maybe once in a blue moon) to be bored.....so I am waiting for that moment. Unfortunately, it has not arrived yet.

OK, so I was thinking a bit further, what if I am really bored, where would I go, what would I do? Do I have to do something? Would I be socially acceptable if I don't do something? What about the 'social expectations' guidelines'? Does it really matter?

Photography by Lizelle

A light bulb moment.....if a person could just for one moment relax.... unwind.... and think where they can think. They will soon discover that a library (in the mist of chaos) is still the place to go to relax, and to rest the mind. It is a place where you can look bored, be quiet (or not) or just be you.

That said, I cannot see myself without that backup support, that life-link that connects me to books (real books), history, memories, sadness, laughter....real moments. That's what count, right?

Hope you will also find a library in your chaotic life :)

Libraries need to change

Back to basics

Image from iStockphoto

It is clear, libraries of the 21st century is not the same as what it was thirty to forty years ago. With the advent of the Internet, the Web, Web 2.0 platforms, iPhone, iPod, iPad, Blackberry, and all the other new devices and technologies – libraries had to adjust quickly.

However, sitting in a library conference a few weeks ago, I realised that libraries and library professionals are missing the point. It is obvious, that technology is part of our everyday life...and it is unlikely that it will disappear into thin air either. We have to live with it...or change with it.

But.... Where do library patrons fit in? Most importantly, where do the older library patrons fit in? Where does social culture fit in? Are libraries still considered as the desired ‘Third place’ of our community?

I argue that libraries need to return to the basics – good solid customer service. Of course there are library patrons that want to get their own books and issue them through the self-issue machines. However, there are patrons that prefer to be served by staff. They do not embrace new technologies, especially the self-issue machines.

That said, I am for technology. It is vital for us to be updated (otherwise we miss out).

But, for me it is important to provide warm heath-felt customer service too. We need to change! We need to hug more, listen more, care more – that’s what libraries need! First and foremost, libraries are and should be about people!

Topic 3.3 - Future Trends

Future Trends


Web 3.0 - the future

Wow, I cannot believe it, I came to the end of the Web 101 unit and what a way to finish it off - Web 3.0.

Firstly, I have enjoyed this unit so much, and I have learned a great deal! To be honest, I have never distinguished between Web and Net as two applications. Secondly, I have learned that when the Internet was first introduced by Tim Berners-Lee in the 1990s, this was only the beginning to a future of Web communication and collaboration. Data is escalated rapidly, everyday on the Web. 

Web 2.0 brought forth social networking applications. However, it seems, the cherry on the cake is Web 3.0. A Web that really know all our ins and outs? What we like, what we eat, what we wear, what our water and electricity meters are doing at home....really??? Kevin Kelly explained the concept so nicely, stating that even our shoes would have little computer chips in - everything will be monitored in future. The more information about us, the better it seems. In the future people will refer to the Web as the Semantic Web - a Web about us. Maybe we should change the Web 3.0 concept to 'We are the Web 3'.

To be honest, I cannot see us living without the Web. Information is part of us, actually everything we do is part of the Web and the Internet. So, let us rejoice all the new media and the future Semantic Web.

Topic 3.2 - Social Me(dia) Rivers

Rivers of social media?

I have never really heard of the term, Social Me(dia) River. However, after reading our course notes and listening to the lecture, I now realise that Twitter can be seen as a non-stop river of information.

We (the users) are like little boats in the  same river (sea), with just different little cargoes on our way to somewhere (well.. nowhere). I was also introduced to the term 'micro-blogging' - little pieces of information we share on twitter or other social networking sites.  

According to Java, et al. (2007) "Microblogging is a new form of communication in which users can describe their current status in short posts distributed by instant messages, mobile phones, email or the Web. Twitter, a popular microblogging tool has seen a lot of growth since it launched in October, 2006". 

Yet, we can bring all our little bits of information together on a site called Friendfeed. We can get all our social networking contributions in one place by subscribing to our own feeds. Friendsfeeds can be great if you want to have everything under one roof. You can inform your friends and family what is happening in your life by just providing one link to them, instead of all your online social networking links.

Reference

Java, A., et al (2007). Why we Twitter: Understanding Microblogging usage and communities. Procedings of the Joint 9th WEBKDD and 1st SNA-KDD Workshop 2007, August 12. Retrieved from http://ebiquity.umbc.edu/get/a/publication/369.pdf