The Early Oxford Press

This meticulously researched volume offers a vivid portrait of the Oxford University Press in its formative centuries, from its modest beginnings in the late fifteenth century through the bustling workshops of the early seventeenth. The author traces the evolution of the press as it began to echo the intellectual currents of the university, especially after 1585 when printing became firmly established. Readers hear the story of a scholarly enterprise that, while often eclipsed by later achievements, laid the groundwork for England’s most celebrated publishing house.

Within its pages lie detailed entries on the most influential titles—Richard de Bury’s Philobiblon, Wycliffe’s treatises, John Smith’s map of Virginia, Burton’s Anatomy of Melancholy, and Bacon’s Advancement of Learning, among many others. The bibliography also uncovers quirky curiosities, such as a 1622 pamphlet urging mothers to nurse their own children and an alchemist‑bishop’s mysterious ventures, all illustrated with period engravings and rich notes. Appendices provide exhaustive lists of printers, privileges, and trade fluctuations, making the work both a scholarly reference and a narrative of early modern book culture.