English Law
English laws of 1586, 1637 and 1662 required an official licence for printing books. The 1662 act required that, according to their subject, books needed to receive the authorization, known as the imprimatur, of the Lord Chancellor, the Earl Marshall, a principal Secretary of State, the Archbishop of Canterbury or the Bishop of London. This law finally expired in 1695.
Read more about this topic: Imprimatur
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