William Caxton (c. 1422 - c. 1491) was an English merchant, diplomat, writer and printer. He is thought to be the first Englishman to introduce a printing press into England, in 1476, and was the first English retailer of printed books. William Caxton had printed a translation from French of 15th century French author Raoul Lefèvre's book Recoeil des histoires de Troyes (he wrote in 1464) as the first ever book printed in English in 1473-1474.