THE WORKES of our ANTIENT and LEARNED ENGLISH POET GEFFERY CHAUCER ENGLISH POET, NEWLY PRINTED.

London, printed by Adam Islip, at the charges of Thomas Wight, 1598.. TITLE CONTINUED: In this Impression you shall find these Additions: 1, His Portraiture and Progenie shewed. 2, His Life collected. 3, Arguments to every Booke gathered. 4, Old and obscure Words explaned. 5, Authors by him cited, declared. 6, Difficulties opened. 7, Two Bookes of his never before printed. SIXTH EDITION, THE FIRST EDITION OF CHAUCER to be edited by Thomas Speght 1598. Folio bound in sixes, approximately 305 x 200mm, 12 x 8 inches, engraved portrait frontispiece of Chaucer surrounded by a genealogical chart of his "Progenie", title page within architectural border, 3 highly decorated divisional title pages, full page arms on verso A6, woodcut illustration of the Knight at the head of the Knight's Tale, decorative initials, small coat of arms on the second leaf of the Life of Chaucer, text in double columns and black letter. Pages: [54], 1-394, [1], [26]. A Catalogue of Translations by John Lidgate, of The Old and Obscure Words of Chaucer, Explained, Hard Words of Chaucer Explained, Correction of Some Faults, and Annotations upon some Places. The main text 1-394 is numbered on rectos only, making a total of 788 pages plus the 80 unnumbered pages. The foliation is irregular as follows: 1-232, 232, 232-235, 242-243, 246, 243-245, 241, 241-246, 248-300, 302-308, 308-309, 311-314, 321, 317-337, 340-344, 339, 348-358, 358, 360-392, text collated and guaranteed complete (pagination the same as The Carl H. Pforzheimer Library of English Literature Volume 1, pages 176-178), Alexander Bannatyne Stewart's bookplate on first pastedown. Rebound at sometime in full morocco, gilt lettering and decoration to spine and gilt decoration to covers, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt. Slight rubbing to hinges and edges, outer edge of portrait frontispiece slightly trimmed and repaired, 6 lines excised from recto and 6 from verso of folio 32, the missing text inserted on pasted slips (see image), folio 71 has small dark brown stain which affects 2 words, lower corner of folio 374 neatly repaired, loss of a few letters to 2 words on verso, easily legible, a small hole to same leaf with loss of a couple of letters and a small hole in folio 79 with slight loss to 2 words on recto and verso, all easily legible, another to outer margin of folio 390, no loss of text, pale age-browning to 2 divisional title pages and large coat of arms, some pale age-browning to several gatherings, small tear with slight loss to outer margins of 2 leaves, not near text, running title lightly crossed out due to printing error on verso folio 154, old ink correction above, small pale stain to outer margin of 9 folios, not near text, occasional brown stain or spot, mostly to margins, a few underlinings in old ink on folio 98, pinhole worm hole to lower margins throughout, not near text, lacking the first and last blank leaves, marbled inner paper hinges cracked, binding tight and firm, most text clean, a very good copy. This is the first edition with a portrait of Chaucer and to include the explanation of Hard Words. See: The Carl Pforzheimer Library, English Literature 1475-1700, Volume 1, pages 176-178, No. 177; Grolier Club, Catalogue of Original and Early Editions of some of the Poetical and Prose Works of English Writers from Langland to Wither, page 35; W. Carew Hazlitt, Hand-Book to the Popular, Poetical and Dramatic Literature of Great Britain, page 97 (g); Luborsky & Ingram, A Guide To English Illustrated Books, 1536-1603, Volume 1, page 278, No. 5077. MORE IMAGES ATTACHED TO THIS LISTING, ALL ZOOMABLE, FURTHER IMAGES ON REQUEST. POSTAGE AT COST.