Books

London: Bernard Lintot, 1721. First edition. Contemporary speckled calf. Very Good. LANDMARK EARLY MODERN EDITION OF CHAUCER'S WORKS. The Canterbury Tales, the most culturally productive of Chaucer's works, has existed in a state of flux since its earliest manuscript traces. No manuscript surviving from the Middle Ages contains all of the known tales, and, in exemplars which do witness the same episodes, the sequence often varies-in addition to containing more commonplace textual variations in language and presentation. Thus, the task of compiling Chaucer's works for print publication, with an increased need for standardisation and an expectation of mass circulation, gives rise to manifold editorial considerations and yields no unprecarious route towards the modern ambition for a definitive volume. These complexities result in a rich and storied editorial history of Chaucer's works, from the fourteenth century to the present day. John Urry was one of those who undertook the…