Books and Manuscripts

London: Printed for Bernard Lintot, 1721. First Urry edition. Folio, 15 7/16 x 9 5/8 in. (392 x 244 mm). (lii), 626, 81, (1) pp. Illustrated with an engraved frontispiece portrait of Urry by N. Pigne, engraved vignette of Chaucer's tomb on title-page, engraved portrait of Chaucer by George Vertue, 27 engraved head-pieces in "The Canterbury Tales" representing each of the story's pilgrims, and numerous woodcut intials and head- and tail-pieces throughout. Full contemporary paneled brown calf, stamped in blind, rebacked, brown morocco spine label, stamped in gilt, large piece of leather in front board torn away, four much smaller portions torn away in rear board; red speckled edges; armorial book-plate of Thomas Caren, Esq. on front paste-down; ownership inscription on front free endpaper, dated 1967; contemporary ownership signature at top of title-page; different armorial book-plate of Carens on verso of title-page; ownership signature at top of rear paste-down; light offsetting from plates; scattered very light soiling in some margins; some leaves lightly toned. Hammond. pp. 128-130; ESTC T106027

A handsome copy of John Urry's first edition of Chaucer's collected works, the first to be printed in roman, rather than gothic, type. Urry's work "was the first edition of Chaucer for nearly a hundred and fifty years to consult any manuscripts and is the first since that of William Thynne in 1534 to seek systematically to assemble a substantial number of manuscripts to establish his text. It is also the first edition to offer descriptions of the manuscripts of Chaucer's works, and the first to print texts of 'Gamelyn' and 'The Tale of Beryn', works ascribed to, but not by, Chaucer" (Oxford Dictionary of National Biography). This edition was left incomplete upon Urry's death in 1715, was continued by Thomas Ainsworth until his own death in 1719, and was then finished by Timothy and William Thomas, who compiled the glossary printed in the rear.