Geoffrey Chaucer

Geoffrey Chaucer's most famous work is his Canterbury Tales, a set of tales told by pilgrims on their way to the shrine of St Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral. He wrote exclusively in English, and was the first major European poet to do so. The telling of the Tales is set in Kent, and their tellers are recognisably English. Chaucer was a keen observer, and his own Englishness is unmistakable, not least in his social sense of humour. His works, printed by Caxton, are the only verse literature from the Middle Ages to have remained continuously in print since Caxton. John Dryden called him the Father of English Poetry. Published in association with Canterbury Cathedral, this guide to Chaucer, his life, times and works, is written by Michael Alexander, Professor Emeritus of English Literature at St Andrew's University. It includes illustrations from printed copies of the Tales (early modern and Pre-Raphaelite), portraits of Chaucer and key historical figures of the period, and medieval stained glass from Canterbury Cathedral. 40 colour illustrations