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Chaucer, Canterbury Tales in Modern English, 1934 Kent

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"Canterbury Tales of Geoffrey Chaucer, Rendered into Modern English", by J.U. Nicolson, with Illustrations by Rockwell Kent and an Introduction by Gordon Hall Gerould. Published by Garden City Books, Garden City, NY, De-Luxe Edition, 1934.

Hard boards, blind stamped brown cloth with plate mounted on front cover and label on spine [some surface and edge wear]; illustrated endpapers, 6" x 10"; xvi, 627 pages, over 20 full page illustrations and several text decorations, a little outer edge soiling, very good condition.

The "Canterbury Tales" is a collection of 24 stories written in Middle English by Geoffrey Chaucer between 1387 and 1400. The tales, mostly written in verse, although some are in prose, are presented as part of a story-telling contest by a group of pilgrims as they travel together from London to Canterbury to visit the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral.

The Canterbury Tales is near-unanimously seen as Chaucer's magnum opus. He uses the tales and descriptions of its characters to paint an ironic and critical portrait of English society at the time, and particularly of the Church. Chaucer's use of such a wide range of classes and types of people was without precedent in English. Although the characters are fictional, they still offer a variety of insights into customs and practices of the time. Often, such insight leads to a variety of discussions and disagreements. For example, although various social classes are represented in these stories and all of the pilgrims are on a spiritual quest, it is apparent that they are more concerned with worldly things than spiritual. Structurally, the collection resembles Boccaccio's Decameron, which Chaucer may have read during his first diplomatic mission to Italy in 1372.

Rockwell Kent (1882-1971) was an American painter, printmaker, illustrator, writer, sailor and adventurer. When an anthology of Kent's work was published in 1982, a reviewer of the book for the New York Times described Kent as "... a thoughtful, troublesome, profoundly independent, odd and kind man who made an imperishable contribution to the art of bookmaking in the United States."

US: Priority (c.4-8 days) ------------ $9.50
Canada: Priority (c.2-6 weeks) ------ $29.50
World: Priority (c.2-8 weeks) ------- $40.50

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19 Nov 2021
USA, Petersburg, VA
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[ translate ]

"Canterbury Tales of Geoffrey Chaucer, Rendered into Modern English", by J.U. Nicolson, with Illustrations by Rockwell Kent and an Introduction by Gordon Hall Gerould. Published by Garden City Books, Garden City, NY, De-Luxe Edition, 1934.

Hard boards, blind stamped brown cloth with plate mounted on front cover and label on spine [some surface and edge wear]; illustrated endpapers, 6" x 10"; xvi, 627 pages, over 20 full page illustrations and several text decorations, a little outer edge soiling, very good condition.

The "Canterbury Tales" is a collection of 24 stories written in Middle English by Geoffrey Chaucer between 1387 and 1400. The tales, mostly written in verse, although some are in prose, are presented as part of a story-telling contest by a group of pilgrims as they travel together from London to Canterbury to visit the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral.

The Canterbury Tales is near-unanimously seen as Chaucer's magnum opus. He uses the tales and descriptions of its characters to paint an ironic and critical portrait of English society at the time, and particularly of the Church. Chaucer's use of such a wide range of classes and types of people was without precedent in English. Although the characters are fictional, they still offer a variety of insights into customs and practices of the time. Often, such insight leads to a variety of discussions and disagreements. For example, although various social classes are represented in these stories and all of the pilgrims are on a spiritual quest, it is apparent that they are more concerned with worldly things than spiritual. Structurally, the collection resembles Boccaccio's Decameron, which Chaucer may have read during his first diplomatic mission to Italy in 1372.

Rockwell Kent (1882-1971) was an American painter, printmaker, illustrator, writer, sailor and adventurer. When an anthology of Kent's work was published in 1982, a reviewer of the book for the New York Times described Kent as "... a thoughtful, troublesome, profoundly independent, odd and kind man who made an imperishable contribution to the art of bookmaking in the United States."

US: Priority (c.4-8 days) ------------ $9.50
Canada: Priority (c.2-6 weeks) ------ $29.50
World: Priority (c.2-8 weeks) ------- $40.50

[ translate ]
Sale price
Unlock
Estimate
Unlock
Time, Location
19 Nov 2021
USA, Petersburg, VA
Auction House
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View it on