TROILUS AND CRISEYDE: A New Edition of 'The Book of Troilus'.

First edition, first printing. Original black cloth lettered and ruled in gilt to the spine, in the dustwrapper illustrated by Charles Keeping. From the library of Rosamund Allen, who taught Medieval English at Queen Mary, University of London, with her distinctive bookplate featuring a rhymed alliterative threat to anyone who dares to steal the book. A very good copy, the binding square and firm, there is light offsetting to the endpapers and a simple bookplate to the front free endpaper, the contents are otherwise clean and without stamps or inscriptions. Complete with the dustwrapper which has, for some reason, been laminated over the publisher's own laminate (it is only noticeable from the uneven edges of the laminate over the flaps) and is otherwise without fading, loss or tears. Altogether a very nice copy of this landmark edition. Scarce in cloth with the dustwrapper.

Although less famous than 'The Canterbury Tales', 'Troilus and Criseyde' is considered by many to be Chaucer's greatest, and most perfect, work. A product of the author's visits to Italy and interest in Italian poetry – Dante and Petrarch are quoted – the poem is based on Boccaccio's early courtly work 'Il Filostrato', itself based on the twelfth-century 'Roman de Troie', by 12th-century French poet Benoît de Sainte-Maure, which tells the story of Troilus (son of Priam) and his love for Criseyde. Chaucer's version of the story at once translates, elaborates and transcends its sources. This edition prints Chaucer's poem and the Italian text of Boccaccio's poem in parallel, as well as a full critical commentary and an extensive introduction to the text and its sources. Freshly edited from all the surviving medieval manuscripts, this remains the standard edition of the work.