Extra, Extra, Read (and See) All About It!

The British Library's Online Chaucer Collection is Now Complete

[A detail from a medieval edition of The Canterbury Tales: photo by Mary Evans Picture Library/Alamy]

Pardon this intrusion into the middle of the usual newsletter schedule, but the news broke today that the British Library’s digitized collection of Chaucer’s work is now complete. How fun for this to take place in the midst of our study together of The Canterbury Tales!

You can find the link to access the collcttion in this article:

https://blogs.bl.uk/digitisedmanuscripts/2023/10/chaucers-works-go-online.html

And here’s the news story published by The Guardian today with more details:

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/oct/25/chaucer-digital-works-available-online-british-library-canterbury-tales-manuscripts

It’s a huge collection. I hope some of you here at The Priory will browse through it and share your favorite finds in the comments.

I am smitten with the opening page of The Canterbury Tales pictured in the first link above—the gorgeous illuminations and the portrait of Chaucer himself!

It is simply amazing that so many versions of his work over time continue to exist as tangible objects that we can see and hold (if only virtually for most of us).

What a gift. Enjoy.