William Caxton and the printing press

Study note

William Caxton was the first person in England to print books using a printing press. Before the printing press, books had to be copied out by hand, which was slow and expensive, so very few people owned them. Caxton's work changed this completely.

By printing books, Caxton made them far cheaper and more widely available, so that many more people could own and read them. This also helped spread the use of the English language in writing. He is the figure to remember for printing in England, rather than the writer Geoffrey Chaucer, the playwright William Shakespeare or the scientist Isaac Newton. The key fact is that William Caxton was the first person in England to print books with a printing press.

Memory tip: Caxton brought the printing press to England, books for many, not just a few.