Description

Franklin Library leather edition of Geoffrey Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales," In contemporary verse by J.U. Nicholaon, Illustrated with hand-lettered Ellesmere Manuscript as they existed in 1400, a Limited edition, one of the 100 GREATEST BOOKS OF ALL TIME series, published in 1974. Bound in hunter green leather, the book has orange French moire silk end leaves, acid-free paper, Symth-sewn binding, hubbed spine, a satin book marker, gold gilding on three edges--in near FINE condition---except the satin book marker is shorter than usual. Geoffrey Chaucer, who lived from 1345-1400, the son of John Chaucer, was married Philippa and lived around nobility all his life. When he died, he was buried in Westminister Abbey, the first POET in what is now known as the "Poet's corner." "The Canterbury Tales" is a collection of over 20 stories written in Middle English. The tales are presented as part of a story-telling contest by a group of pilgrims as they travel together on a journey from the Southwark Inn in London to the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral. [Beckett was murdered in 1170 inside the Cathedral.] Chaucer uses the tales and the descriptions of its characters to paint an ironic and critical portrait of English society at the time, and particularly of the Church. The reader will meet the memorable characters: The Monk, the Friar, the busy lawyer---or "so he seems," Nuns, the Summoner, the Squire---who has returned from the Holy Land while serving his father---the noble Knight; the Oxford clerk--or student---more interested in books and literature than horses, clothes, or fine food; his motto is: "gladly would he learn and gladly would he teach; the Cook---who is working for the 'Guildsmen,'---the weaver, the dyer, the carpenter, the haberdasher, and the candle maker; the Miller---who grinds corn and cheats with his 'wicked thumb' on the scales; his filthy tale of sexual indulgences and revenge begins a series of "love or sexual tales"; the 'greedy' Pardoner---who misuses his position by selling " sexual indulgences" and fake artifacts such as cloth he claims came from Christ's; the Wife of Bath---who joyfully admits she likes sex, has been married five times and enjoys going on holidays to visit Christian shrines---she has the men laughing and enjoying her prologue about what "women want most"; she blames her sexy nature on her star: Venus and her mean streak on Mars; the Reeve, the Merchant, the wealthy Franklin; the physician---who is more interested in his 'fee' than in healing his patients, the Prioress---prim and proper but somewhat a fake, especially with her fake French accent; the Monk, the lowly Parson---a fine man who visits all his parish---poor as well as rich; and the Knight---a fine man who has returned from fighting the 'infidels' in the Holy Land---all the classes of English society of the fourteenth century---except the nobility. 634 pages. I offer Combined shipping.