The Canterbury Tales

One of the great masterworks of English literature, in a gorgeous new clothbound edition

In The Canterbury Tales Chaucer created one of the great touchstones of English literature, a masterly collection of chivalric romances, moral allegories, and low farce. A storytelling competition between a group of pilgrims from all walks of life is the occasion for a series of tales that range from the Knight’s account of courtly love and the ebullient Wife of Bath’s Arthurian legend, to the ribald anecdotes of the Miller and the Cook. Nevill Coghill’s masterly and vivid modern English verse translation is rendered with consummate skill to retain all the vigor and poetry of Chaucer’s fourteenth-century Middle English.

Editorial Reviews

„McCaughrean’s accomplished prose version of the medieval classic retains the basic plot and humor of Chaucer’s original poem. Colorful detailed illustrations accompany an accessible introduction to the medieval masterpiece.“-The Horn Book Guide

– From the Publisher

A delicious cover: the Wife of Bath on a motorcycle, in semimodern garb and wearing a self-satisfied grin. The same clever decanting of old wine into new bottles carries us through all 20-plus Chaucer tales, if compressed a bit. Chwast used the same approach for Dante’s Divine Comedy (2010), which was well received. But the missing ingredient in both works, for this reviewer, is color: the freewheeling, stylish hue characteristic of Chwast’s half-century-old Push Pin Studio. Whereas the cover sports striking orange, green, and black, the interior pulls back into black and white. Perhaps Chwast was trying to evoke William Caxton’s medieval woodcuts for the Chaucer stories. Indeed, Caxton’s illustrations feature elaborate design explicitly tailored to a colorless medium, but Chwast’s portfolio has centered on color to complement his clear-line penwork, which here looks rather unfinished. VERDICT Chwast’s entertaining adaptation suffices as casual reading and can serve as a pathway to the original for students with Chaucer as class assignments. Just keep in mind that the award-winning artist was drawing with one hand behind his back. Includes cartoony nudity and bawdry.–M.C.
– Library Journal