BATES, Katharine Lee “Chaucer’s Canterbury Pilgrims” [Rand McNally & Co, 1914]

BATES, Katharine Lee. Chaucer’s Canterbury Pilgrims.

Chicago and New York: Rand McNally & Company, 1914. Retold by Katharine Lee Bates. Illustrated by Angus MacDonall (x54) with color plates by Milo Winter (x4). Octavo. Publisher’s cream cloth stamped in brown with Celtic knot ornament and a central pictorial medallion on the front board; spine lettered and decorated in brown. Includes a large folding panorama illustration depicting the famous procession of pilgrims. Light soiling and mild toning to the pale cloth with gentle rubbing at the edges and spine ends. Interior clean with the folding plate present and in very good condition. Bookplate inside front cover and front hinge starting. Very Good-.

A charming illustrated retelling of Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales prepared by Katharine Lee Bates, best known as the author of “America the Beautiful.” Intended to make Chaucer’s great medieval narrative accessible to modern readers, Bates reshapes the pilgrimage stories into a readable prose narrative while preserving the character and spirit of the original work. The volume is enhanced with illustrations throughout and striking color plates by noted illustrator Milo Winter, along with an impressive folding panorama showing the full procession of Chaucer’s pilgrims riding out from the Tabard Inn toward Canterbury.