Wynkyn de Worde

Wynkyn de Worde , d. 1535, English printer, whose original name was Jan van Wynkyn. He was born at Wörth in Alsace and probably accompanied William Caxton to England in 1476. He assisted in the work of Caxton at Westminster and after Caxton's death took over his business. His independent work began in 1491 and continued until his death. At first he used only typefaces that Caxton had used, but to these he later added other styles. Wynkyn de Worde printed more than 700 books, including the first English example of music printed from moving type, Higden's Polychronicon (1495).

Worde, Wynkyn de (d. 1535), printer from Wörth in Alsace, probably met Caxton in Cologne and was brought by him to London in 1476. He was Caxton's principal assistant until his death in 1491/2 whereupon Wynkyn succeeded to the printing business which he managed until his death, moving it to Fleet Street. He printed many important literary works in the 1490s, and the catalogue of his works is evidence of bibliographical demand between 1490 and 1535: for instance, he sometimes printed several editions of the same grammar in a single year.