Chaucer's Works, Volume 6 — Introduction, Glossary, and Indexes

This volume is Walter W. Skeat's indispensable scholarly apparatus to Chaucer's complete works, compiled at the height of Victorian philology. Rather than containing Chaucer's poetry itself, it provides the tools readers need to navigate and understand the Middle English of the Canterbury Tales, Troilus and Criseyde, and Chaucer's other verse. Skeat's introduction articulates the editorial philosophy behind the edition: establishing authentic texts from the best manuscripts, distinguishing genuine works from those spuriously attributed to Chaucer over centuries, and providing the linguistic apparatus necessary for modern comprehension. The glossary that follows is exhaustive, translating Chaucer's rich but sometimes opaque vocabulary into accessible Modern English. The indexes permit rapid consultation, allowing scholars to trace motifs, characters, and textual problems across Chaucer's corpus. Originally published in 1891, this remains essential reading for anyone undertaking serious study of medieval English literature.