The Canterbury Tales: A Retelling »

PETER ACK ROY D's highly acclaimed books include Thames: The Biography and London: The Biography.

GEOFREY CHAUCER (c. 1343- 1400) was an English author, poet, philosopher, courtier, and diplomat who also wrote Troilus and Criseyde, considered by many to be the first modern English novel.

"A romp for the ages" (Vanity Fair)-now with a graphic cover and deluxe packaging

Renowned novelist, historian, and biographer Peter Ackroyd takes on what is arguably the greatest poem in the English language and presents it in a prose vernacular that makes it accessible to readers while preserving the spirit of the original. A mirror for medieval society, The Canterbury Tales concerns a motley group of pilgrims who meet in a London inn on their way to Canterbury and agree to take part in a storytelling competition. Ackroyd's contemporary prose emphasizes the humanity of these characters-as well as explicitly rendering their bawdy humor-yet still masterfully evokes the euphonies and harmonies of Chaucer's verse.

The New York Times - Harold Bloom

Retelling Chaucer in our contemporary prose necessarily is a great loss, yet so rich is Chaucer that enormous value remains in Ackroyd's robust versions of The Canterbury Tales…Ackroyd is happiest and in his best form with Chaucer's sublime ribaldry: the tales told by the Miller, the Reeve and the Summoner.