Higden, Ranulph.

First edition, chancery folio (270 x 196mm.), 443 leaves (of 450), 40 lines plus headline, Black Letter, 2- to 7-line initials (with printed guides) and paraph marks supplied in red, early manuscript annotations in red and black ink (some shaved) with the year noted in red in the margins, nineteenth-century calf blind-tooled in antique style, title lettered in gilt on spine, gilt edges, in modern tan crushed morocco cushioned box, lacking 5 blanks and 2 text leaves (a1-2, initial blank leaf and title-page; 1/1 and 5, blanks; [A]2, blank; 55/7-8, last leaf of text with colophon and final blank leaf), leaves of first quire repaired in gutter, marginal paper repairs in first few quires, c4 slightly cut down (without loss of text), small inkstain on 9/4v-5r, 35/6r and 41/4r, a few initials slightly offset, lower corner of 17/7, 18/3 and 49/4 torn without loss of text, 36/7 torn at foot without loss, 47/3 & 6 frayed, 49/2 and 52/6 torn and repaired, 55/3-6 stained with loss of text on 55/4, rebacked retaining original spine

Richard Curtes, early inscription in Latin on 40/1; Will. Howard, inscription at start of text; Frederick, 2nd Lord Hesketh, bookplate

HC 8659; GW 12468; BMC xi 127; Goff H267; De Ricci 49; Duff 172; STC 13438

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Ranulph Higden (died 1363/4), a Benedictine monk at St Werberg's, Chester, wrote his history of the world in Latin; it was soon translated into (Middle) English by John Trevisa at the behest of his patron Thomas, Earl of Berkeley, who died in 1361. Caxton updated the language of his version and continued the chronicle down to his own day.

This is one of only two books printed by Caxton that use numerical signatures (the other is the Siege of Jerusalem of 1481). It is also the first one in which he uses printed headlines, and one of only four that have printed foliation, all produced between 1482 and 1484, and probably connected with the presence of an index, which in this case is the first index to be found in an English printed book.

The rubrication in this copy is almost identical to that in the Trevor copy (sold in these rooms, 13 December 2007, lot 20), the Hatton-Botfield copy (sale, Christie's, 23 June 1993, lot 52), and two of the copies in the British Library, indicating that rubrication was carried out before sale, in Caxton's workshop. While different copies of other Caxton editions show similarities of rubrication, the difference with this edition is that the rubrication does not just involve adding paragraph marks and filling in initial spaces but also includes historic dates and important words or names in the margin for ease of reference. According to BMC, at least three different hands have been identified in the rubrication of copies of this work, although not every copy was rubricated in this way.