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¶ "I began printing books with the hope of producing some which would have a definite claim to beauty, while at the same time they should be easy to read and should not dazzle the eye, or trouble the intellect of the reader by eccentricity of form in the letters. I have always been a great admirer of the calligraphy of the Middle Ages, and of the earlier printing which took its place." — William Morris
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Tag Archives: Geoffrey Chaucer
A study of the Princeton copies
Robert Milevski, former preservation librarian at Princeton University Library, has prepared a comprehensive study of the four copies of the Chaucer at Princeton. His essay is now available through a link at Princeton’s Rare Book Collections blog.
Posted in news
Tagged fine printing, Geoffrey Chaucer, Kelmscott Press, Princeton University Library, Robert Milevski, William Morris
Laurence W. Hodson copy sold
Bloomsbury Auctions on 4 April 2013 offered books, manuscripts, and artwork from the collection of Laurence W. Hodson (1864–1933), lot 45 of which was a paper copy of the Chaucer. Hodson was a close friend of William Morris and an … Continue reading
A Kelmscott Chaucer on “The Antiques Roadshow”
A quarter-linen copy of the Kelmscott Chaucer was appraised by Stephen Massey on an episode of The Antiques Roadshow in Cincinnati on 8 April 2013. The great-great-grandfather of the present owner was the original owner of the book. This is … Continue reading
Posted in news
Tagged Antiques Roadshow, Cincinnati, fine printing, Geoffrey Chaucer, Kelmscott Press, Quarter-linen bindings, Stephen Massey, William Morris
Yeats copy: clipping
In our Census (2.86) we have described how the copy of the Chaucer — now in the National Library of Ireland — came into the hands of W. B. Yeats in 1905. The clipping above, from an unidentified magazine or newspaper, does … Continue reading
Ward-Watkins-Slocum-Edison copy sold
A Chaucer in a private collection, St. Louis (Census 2.194), was sold at Christie’s (New York) on 7 December 2012, lot 114, for $52,500. The copy has a lightly worn quarter-linen binding and a full blue morocco folding case. It … Continue reading
Phillips-Johnson-Targ copy
In their catalogue for November 2012, no. 1, Bauman Rare Books offered for sale a copy in an elaborate Birdsall binding: the crushed red morocco front cover reproduces the Burne-Jones wood-engraving at the beginning of the Clerk’s Tale. There are … Continue reading
Copy for sale: Donald Heald
Donald Heald (New York) is offering a copy of the Chaucer bound in “red morocco gilt, the covers with thin outer triple fillet gilt borders surrounding a large area of inlaid blue morocco, the onlays tooled with a wide elaborate … Continue reading
Posted in Copies for sale
Tagged Donald Heald, fine printing, Geoffrey Chaucer, Kelmscott Press, morocco bindings, William Morris
Exhibition: University of Maryland
Special Collections at the University of Maryland Libraries, College Park, currently has an exhibition entitled “How We Might Live: The Vision of William Morris,” in which Maryland’s copy of the Chaucer is prominently displayed. The exhibition can be seen in the … Continue reading
Posted in Exhibitions
Tagged fine printing, Geoffrey Chaucer, Kelmscott Press, University of Maryland, William Morris
Copy for sale (in 1975)
August Imholtz has spotted a copy of the Chaucer advertised in the Bookman (published by John Howell Books, San Francisco), June 1975, New Series 2, no. 36. It is a quarter-linen without any marks of ownership and is listed for $9,000.
Wilfrid Scawen Blunt copy sold
On 13 November 2012, Bonham’s, Knightsbridge, sold an imperfect copy of the Chaucer (lot 221) for £10,000 including buyer’s premium. The book contains “202 leaves only (of 282, including 62 with large woodcut illustrations by Edward Burne-Jones, and 17 further leaves … Continue reading
