Pilgrims on their way to worship at the shrine of St. Thomas a Becket in Canterbury stop at the Tabard Inn. They represent a cross-section of medieval English society. To amuse themselves on their journey, they agree that each will tall a tale that really tells much about each individual. This is often called the first book of peotry written in English.

Troilus and Criseyde (c.1385) is an epic poem written by English poet Geoffrey Chaucer. Composed in Middle English, Troilus and Criseyde is the story of two lovers forced apart by the Greek siege of Troy. Often considered Chaucer's finest work for its structural consistency and completeness, the poem adapts Homer's Iliad and other ancient sources which expand on its tradition to tell a Christian moral tale about the importance of faith and the sacred...

This collection of the works of Chaucer has been edited by Walter William Skeat, who was scrupulous in producing a sound text based on the best manuscripts, and eschewing inauthentic works that had been spuriously attributed to Chaucer. Skeat also includes thorough detail on the nature of Chaucer's Middle English language.

The Canterbury Tales are widely read and studied. The Middle English in which they were first written differs sufficiently from modern English, in vocabulary and usage, that most of us require a contemporary translation. On this recording the ‘General Prologue’ and ‘The Physician’s Tale’ are read in Middle English by Richard Bebb, under the direction of a leading Chaucerian scholar, Professor Derek Brewer. It is an authoritative

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The Prologue • The Knight’s Tale • The Miller’s Tale • The Pardoner’s Tale • The Merchant’s Tale • The Franklin’s Tale

Chaucer's greatest work, written towards the end of the fourteenth century, paints a brilliant picture of medieval life, society, and values. The stories range from the romantic, courtly idealism of 'The Knight's Tale' to the joyous bawdy of the Miller's; all are told with a freshness and vigour

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Several of the popular stories are retold with handsome illustrations by Trina Schart Hyman. In 1386, Chaucer recorded, or created, the stories spun by 30 pilgrims traveling from London to Canterbury. Cohen and Hyman have responded to Chaucer's masterpiece with lively prose and unforgettable pictures that evoke the colorful world of 14th-century England. Full color.