OUP then began to expand internationally, starting with the opening of an American office in 1896. A Bible warehouse was set up in London, which later grew into a major publisher of books with educational or cultural content aimed at the general reader. This Bible Privilege formed the basis of a profitable business throughout the next two centuries and was the spur to OUP's expansion. The University established its right to print the King James Authorized Version of the Bible in the seventeenth century. This was further enhanced in the Great Charter secured by Archbishop Laud from King Charles I, which entitled the University to print 'all manner of books'. But in 1586 the University itself obtained a decree from the Star Chamber confirming its privilege to print books. It consisted of a number of short-lived private businesses, some patronized by the University. The first book was printed in Oxford in 1478, only two years after Caxton set up the first printing press in England.ĭespite this early start, the printing industry in Oxford developed in a somewhat haphazard fashion over the next century. Oxford University Press had its origins in the information technology revolution of the late fifteenth century, which began with the invention of printing from movable type.
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