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The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer, Compared with the Former Editions, and many valuable MSS. Out of which, Three Tales are added which were never before Printed; By John Urry, Student of Chirst-Church, Oxon. Deceased; Together with a Glossary, By a Student of the same College. To the Whole is prefixed The Author s Life, newly written, and a Preface, giving an Account of this edition, Printed for Bernard Lintot, between the Temple Gates, London, 1721, FRIST URRY EDITION! 626 pp, 81 pp, plus errata, frontispiece of Urry, full-page engraving of Chaucer, vignettes of each Tale, full Cambridge style leather, 16 x 10.25 , folio. In fair condition. Front board detached. Modern spine. Moderate wear to extremities with minor scuffing along edges and more moderate wear to corners and end bands. Hinges fragile. Scuffing to raised bands. Original Cambridge style boards darkened along edges and scuffed. Bottom right corner of front board is exposed. Fresh end papers. Title page and end papers detached with board. Text block in good condition. Interior lightly toned with nominal foxing. Free of known markings. Binding remains intact. Overall bright and clean inside. Please see photos. John Urry (1666 in Dublin, Ireland 18 March 1715 in Oxford, Great Britain) was a noted literary editor and medieval scholar of Scottish family. Matriculating from Christ Church, Oxford on 30 June 1682, he was elected to a studentship. He graduated B.A. in 1686. However (his father William was a major of the royal guards in Scotland at the Restoration, and his uncle John fought on both sides in the Civil War), the younger John Urry fought against Monmouth, and would not swear the oath of allegiance to William III on his accession, thereby losing his studentship. At the end of 1711, Christ Church's dean Francis Atterbury convinced a reluctant Urry to edit a proposed new edition of the works of Geoffrey Chaucer. After Urry's his death Thomas Ainsworth of Christ Church, who had already been employed under Urry in transcribing part of the text of Chaucer, was thought the best qualified to proceed with the edition. He died in August 1719, and the work was finally revised by Timothy Thomas, another graduate of Christ Church, and appeared in 1721 under the title The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer compared with the former editions and many valuable MSS. (London, fol.). The life of Chaucer prefixed to the volume was the work of the Rev. John Dart, corrected and revised by Timothy Thomas. The glossary appended was also mainly compiled by Thomas. The text of the edition is probably the worst ever prepared on account of Urry's unpardonable habit of lengthening and shortening Chaucer's words, and even introducing words of his own to suit his views of the metre. Urry was a friend of Thomas Hearne, who styles him a thorough pac'd scholar and a truly worthy and virtuous, as well as ingenious, gentleman. A portrait of Urry, engraved by N. Pign�, is prefixed to the work. First Urry edition. RAREB1721DVWZ RAREB1721WDVY - 11/24 - HKREV288.