Main (Thompson) Library location: North wing -- Third window. Little is known about the early life and schooling of Robert Copland (c. 14-- – 1548). Based on his work with William Caxton and Wynkyn de Worde, however, it is clear that Copland received a fine education, specifically in French and English literature. In 1512, Copland was translating books for de Worde's printing firm. Two years later, he established himself as a bookseller in Fleet Street. Books dated to 1514 from de Worde's press containing Copland's device in the colophon demonstrate his own growing interest in printmaking. By 1515, it appears that Copland had set up his own printing press, where he published a law book called Boke of Justices and Peace. He continued to prosper, and issued a number of books within that decade, including Castle of Pleasure, Introductory to Write French, and Mirrour of the Churche. Following the death of de Worde, Copland was among the many successors who assumed his legacy. In 1548, he printed what is believed to be his last book, Introduction of Knowledge, in which the author Andrew Borde called Copland "the eldest printer in England." Copland used three marks over the course of his independent printing career. The Vassar Library displays his simple monogram capped by a four-mark; others use variations of the orb from the popular orb-and-cross motif, occasionally substituting it with the shape of a heart. In his fuller devices, Copland makes allusions to roses, which reference his press at the Sign of the Rose in Fleet Street. In his most elaborate versions, Copland inscribes his monogram on a shield presented by stags and surrounded by a wreath of roses. The border of the device contains an inscription of the Latin Melius est nomen bonum quam diuitie multe, (translating to "A good name is better than many riches") which seems to capture the spirit of his practice as a well-connected printer and stationer.