Title from leaf CCCCxliiii; imprint from ISTC.

Caxton originally issued the Golden Legend in either late 1483 or early 1484. Sometime thereafter, and possibly as late as 1487, he reissued the title. Blades and Duff consider the reissue to be a separate, though not easily discernible edition. George Painter, in his biography of Caxton, posits that this "second" edition was a simple reprinting of 256 out of the original 448 leaves, made to supplement an incomplete lot of remainder stock. Because this reissue contained portions of both the earlier and later printings, and because so many extant copies have been perfected by subsequent owners, it is difficult to definitively differentiate the issues, or to ascribe any particular copy to either of them.

Duff, 408

Duff, 409

ESTC S541

ESTC S123156

Goff J-148

Goff J-149

ISCT ij00148000

Cataloged 2015 jmoschella

Boston Public Library (Rare Books Department) copy bound by Whittingham, of Southwell, in brown morocco panelled and tooled in blind. The spine is panelled and tooled in blind with the title stamped in gilt. All text block edges are gilt. The armorial bookplate of John Towneley is present on the front pastedown, as is the bookplate of Aldenham House. The autograph of Henry H. Gibbs is present on the front flyleaf recto and the verso contains a pencil inscription tracing this copy to the sale of John Dunn Gardner. Early marginalia -- in various hands and in the form of annotations, autographs, drawings, and symbols -- is present throughout.

This is a made-up copy, with no fewer than 27 leaves supplied from at least one other copy, all of which have been remargined with losses to text and headers reproduced in pen facsimile. As currently bound, this copy is comprised of 422 leaves, with the remainder either having been excised after binding (leaves 105-107, 200, and 212) or missing altogether. Guide letters are rubricated in red throughout. Due to both condition and to the complex bibliographical history of Caxton's issuances of this title, it is difficult to discern which of the printings the copy described herein belongs to.