William Caxton (c. 1422 – c. 1491) was an English merchant, diplomat, and writer. He is thought to be the first person to introduce a printing press into England, in 1476, and as a printer was the first English retailer of printed books.

Why was William Caxton introduction of the printing press so important?

Caxton is credited with standardising the English language through printing—that is, homogenising regional dialects and largely adopting the London dialect. This facilitated the expansion of English vocabulary, the regularisation of inflection and syntax, and a widening gap between the spoken and the written word.

What is William Caxton famous for?

William Caxton (b. 1415–24–1492) was the person who brought the technology of printing to England. Before Caxton set up his printing press in Westminster, London, in 1475 or 1476, books in England were copied out by hand, by scribes.