CHAUCER, Geoffrey (c.1343-1400) - photo 1
CHAUCER, Geoffrey (c.1343-1400) - photo 2
CHAUCER, Geoffrey (c.1343-1400) - photo 3
CHAUCER, Geoffrey (c.1343-1400) - photo 4

CHAUCER, Geoffrey (c.1343-1400)

Lot 73
09.07.2025 10:30UTC +01:00
Classic
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CHRISTIE'S
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
Buyer Premiumsee on Website%
ID 1450493
Lot 73 | CHAUCER, Geoffrey (c.1343-1400)
Estimate value
£ 20 000 – 30 000
CHAUCER, Geoffrey (c.1343-1400)
The Workes. Edited by William Thynne (d.1546). [London]: printed by [Richard Grafton for] John Reynes, 1542.
Rare second edition of Chaucer’s collected works: RareBookHub records only one other complete copy at auction since 1988.

The works of Geoffrey Chaucer are profoundly important for their role in shaping both the English language and literary tradition. By choosing to write in Middle English rather than Latin or French—the dominant literary languages of his time—Chaucer elevated the vernacular and demonstrated its expressive power, helping to establish English as a legitimate medium for sophisticated literature. His magnum opus, The Canterbury Tales, opens the present edition and is handsomely illustrated by woodcuts produced from the original blocks used in Caxton’s first illustrated edition of 1483. The Tales provide a vivid panorama of medieval English society and showcase a rich diversity of dialects and social voices, setting a precedent for character-driven storytelling that endures in modern literature. His works mark a turning point in English literary history, bridging the gap between medieval and modern sensibilities and securing his legacy as the ‘father of English literature’.

Edited by William Thynne, the first collected edition appeared in 1532 and was the earliest attempt to collect and edit the complete works of Geoffrey Chaucer, or indeed any English writer. The second edition was however the first to include The Plowman’s Tale, a text now recognized as apocryphal but which was influential in shaping perceptions of Chaucer’s canon, remaining in editions of his collected works until 1775. This is one of two variants printed in the same year; the other lists William Bonham as the printer.

Folio (317 x 209mm). Title and part-titles within woodcut borders, 20 woodcuts within the text illustrating The Canterbury Tales, woodcut initials, text printed in double column (title and 23 leaves supplied from another copy, title window-mounted with small repaired wormholes and a few areas in manuscript facsimile, several leaves restored in margins occasionally affecting printed area, some repaired tears into text, minor marginal worming, scattered stains). Modern blindstamped sheep (spine and upper board slightly faded). Provenance: some 16th- and 17th-century English annotations, marginal markings and manicules, including a recipe for producing ink using ‘a quart of claret wine’.
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
8 King Street, St. James's
SW1Y 6QT London
United Kingdom
Preview
09.07.2025 – 09.07.2025
Phone +44 (0)20 7839 9060
Email
4FQ.AYGKAGLUQ@FO3G@
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Conditions of purchaseConditions of purchase

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