Studied around the world

Geoffrey Chaucer (c. 1340–1400)
The Canterbury tales
[London, early 15th century]

One of the earliest manuscripts of The Canterbury tales, this volume underwent extensive conservation work in 2004 leading to new discoveries about its unusual structure, using both paper and parchment leaves. After being digitised in full and published online in 2013, it was included in a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) run jointly by the Universities of Cambridge and Stanford, with over 10,000 students enrolled from over 100 countries; this unprecedented access to the wider community continues the tradition of learning encouraged by Moore and George I.

MS Dd.4.24, ff. 38v–39r (Royal Library)

This manuscript was digitised as part of the Norman Blake editions of The Canterbury tales and can be viewed online with a full description and discussion of the manuscript by Dr Orietta da Rold. The website is available by following this link.

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