This version of the Canterbury Tales (Everyman) contains all of the tales (including the rather tedious prose tales), and is in the original language. As anyone planning to read the Tales will be aware, old English is not easy! This book takes a lot of time to read. Is it worth it?

Yes. But a qualified yes. As an insight into life during this time in history, and particularly as a demonstration of how little humans have changed over the centuries, this book is very useful. Many of the tales are quite amusing and interesting. On the other hand, many tales are filled with rather drawn out, tedious sections, and a couple are just plain boring.

For a person who wishes to read most of the major English classics, this book must be read, and I think the only way to really appreciate it is in its original form, not in modernised English. For this purpose, the Everyman version is excellent, as it features convenient gloss on each page, so looking up difficult words can be done at a glance, which disturbs the flow a lot less. I would highly recommend trying to read the book in as short a space of time as possible, though, because you do get used to the grammar and vocabulary, and while it is fresh in your mind, it allows you to read the rest of the book with a lot less glossing.

Be aware that I read this book for personal interest, not as part of any particular course, so I am reviewing from the point of view of a general reader, not a literary scholar.

In addition to its literary importance, Chaucer's Canterbury Tales are an enchanting reading experience. The Bantam Classic edition presents the tales in Modern English translation alongside the Middle English so that one can fully appreciate the tales as Chaucer composed them, or if you're just in the mood for a fun romp you can speedily read the translation. The tales themselves move at a quick pace, so beginners will probably enjoy the modern version much more.

The Canterbury Tales revolve around a group of 29 on a pilgrimage to Canterbury Cathedral to pay homage to the martyred St. Thomas a'Becket. The members of the pilgrimage come from all walks of life, including a Knight, Prioress, Merchant, Miller, the ever-entertaining Wife of Bath, and many others. The Canterbury Tales are the pilgrims' stories and each one reflects the individual character's personality beautifully. One can't help but feel a part of this lively group.

Whether you like a bawdy, raucous tale or a morally sound fable you will definitely find something entertaining in this book. I laughed out loud several times and found Chaucer's use of symbolism, wit, wisdom, and the glimpse into 14th Century life absolutely fascinating.

The biggest hurdle in reading Chaucer is the language. Trying to read his work in Middle English is impossible without really good footnotes, and some of the "translations" are even worse--they're written in a high-blown, pompous style that takes all the fun out of the stories.

All this being so, I was delighted to find the Puffin Classics version retold by Geraldine McCaughrean! The tales are told in an easy-to-read, flowing style that captures the bawdy humor of the originals, without being over-crass (this is a children's book, after all.) I found myself often laughing out loud, and wishing I'd found this version much sooner, because it makes Chaucer fun to read! I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to try Chaucer but feels intimidated by the scholarly-looking versions available in the "Literature and Classics" sections. You won't become expert in reading Middle English, but you WILL see why The Canterbury Tales has such a wonderful reputation!

Unfortunately, I had to read this book for a class on Chaucer. The book is an unbiased, fact-filled historical account of what is known about Geoffrey Chaucer. It includes a mind-numbing string of references to actual documents related to Chaucer, anything that mentioned him. It is not exciting. It is not fun to read. The good thing is that the author does not take it upon himself to make Chaucer into some kind of hero, or super-poet.

Dr. Pearsall's Chaucerian Biography is an excellent critical biography that will serve the serious Chaucer scholar well in getting a better acquaintance with biographical contexts in the study of "The Canterbury Tales" as well as other of Chaucer's great poetic works. Pearsall's detailed approach to biographical and literary matters coupled with the fact that he does not conjecture about biographical material makes this edition a wonderful addition to the work on Chaucer scholarship

When I first began writing my MA thesis on The Flower and the Leaf and The Assembly of Ladies,I had difficulty in obtaining the original book prepared and edited by Pearsall in 1962. I got it by chance from an american scholar who recently studied on the texts and finally I had the 1990 edition.In this respect, it is an essential book for the academic studies on the texts but I should admit that comments and the background information by Pearsall are much detailed and valuable in 1962 edition whereas the introductions to each poems are only 2 pages in the 1990 edition. The background information and the traditions should be expanded in my point of view. The Isle of Ladies is an asset in the recent edition but it is still vital for lovers and scholars of medieval literature