Geoffrey Chaucer. The workes of Geffrey Chaucer, newlie printed, with divers addicions, whiche were never in print befor...

Description

Geoffrey Chaucer. The workes of Geffrey Chaucer, newlie printed, with divers addicions, whiche were never in print before: With the siege and destruccion of the worthy Citee of Thebes, compiled by Jhon Lidgate, Monke of Berie. As in the table more plainly doeth appere. [London: Jhon Kyngston, for Jhon Wight], 1561. Folio (12.4375 x 8.25 inches; 316 x 210 mm). [14], 378 leaves. Black letter. Fifty-six lines, double columns. Divisional titles on A1 ("The Caunterburie tales") and Aa1 ("The Romaunt of the Rose"), each within a broad woodcut border showing the genealogy of the Houses of York and Lancaster down to Henry VIII (McKerrow and Ferguson 75), woodcut of a knight on horseback on the recto of B1. Decorative woodcut initials throughout, including white on black initials.

Nineteenth-century sprinkled calf over wooden boards by "Hammond late Wright" (stamp-signed in black at the lower edge of the front free endpaper verso). Covers decoratively panelled in gilt; spine in seven compartments with six gilt-ruled raised bands, brown leather label lettered in gilt in one compartment, elaborately tooled in gilt in the remaining six, with date in gilt at foot; marbled endpapers, all edges gilt. Binding rubbed and worn, with some losses; spine with loose ends; joints cracked, with crude repairs; rear cover detached; several scratch marks to front cover. Closely cropped, affecting headlines. Armorial bookplate on front pastedown, with motto: "Je veux de bonne guerre." Penciled note on recto of front free endpaper: "Wants A1 B6 + leaves at end."

"This edition of The Canterbury Tales is mainly illustrated with images catalogued by Hodnett whether in the original block or in a second state. The cuts were first printed in the two editions by Pynson (STC 5084 and 5086) and the one, by Hill (STC 5071). All the cuts are printed in the prologue with the exception of the last (cut 22) printed at the beginning of The Knight's Tale. As with STC 5069 (see headnote) confusion arises in naming the seven cuts whose identifications now differ from those in Hodnett. To resolve this, the names in the listing are taken from the present edition while the Hodnett identification, when it differs, is cited in brackets. For Hodnett cuts, see Appendix 1. Twenty-two cuts in twenty-three occurrences" (Pforzheimer).

ESTC S107206; Pforzheimer 5075. Property from the Estate of Robert (Bobby) Palazzo, Westlake Village, CA.

More Information: Please note that this description has been updated to include the following information:
"Large woodcut of Chaucer's arms, dated 1560, on title" has been removed. The woodcut with Chaucer's arms occurs in the 1560 printing (ESTC S10727; STC (2nd ed.) 5076) with no illustrations of the Pilgrims.

This copy is lacking preliminary leaf A1 (a leaf from the Prologues to "The Caunterburie tales," containing the woodcuts and text of "The Clerke of Oxenforde" and "The wife of Bathe" on the recto, and "The Persone" on the verso. In addition, leaf A3 is incorrectly bound as A1, possibly because the catchword in the lower corner of the recto is "A"); B6 (fol. vi from "The Knight's Tale"); and Vvv3-Vvv8 (fols. ccclxxiii-ccclxxviii), the final six leaves of "The thirde parte" of "The destruction, of Thebes the Citee," including the colophon on the verso of Vvv8: "Imprinted at London, by Jhon Kyngston, for Jhon Wight, dwelling in Paules Churchyarde. Anno. 1561."
In addition, several leaves have apparently been supplied:
[fleuron]2 and [fleuron]3 appear to have been damaged and are inlaid to size, with loss of several words in four lines in the lower corner, and a few letters in the outer margin;
H5 (fol. 41, a leaf from "The Sompners tale") inlaid to size;
R3 and R4 (fol. 93 and 94, end of the second part and beginning of the third part "The Plowmannes tale") inlaid to size;
Hh2 and Hh5 (fols. 158 and 161, from "The seconde booke of Troilus") in inlaid to size;
Oo3 (fol. 195, from "The Testament of Creseide") is folded and laid in;
Ccc2 and Ccc5 (fols. 266 and 269, from "Of the Astrolabe") inlaid to size;
Sss6 (fol. 364, "The seconde parte" of "The destruction, of Thebes the Citee") inlaid to size.
In this copy, [fleuron]3 is incorrectly signed as A3 ("Aiii").