Chaucer's England

London: Hurst and Blackett, 1869. FIRST EDITION. Frontispiece portrait of Chaucer, title engraving and wonderful illustrations at the beginning of each chapter. Contemporary half blue polished calf over marbled boards with gilt ruled borders, 5 raised bands with gilt tooled compartments and morocco spine labels, marbled end-papers, top edge gilt; light scuffing, spines slightly sunned. Overall a very good copy with previous owner’s signature. First edition. A fine combination biography and commentary on Chaucer’s work. Writing under the pseudonym Matthew Browne, the author, William Brightly Rands (1823-1883), delves into the lives and environments of the characters of Chaucer’s wonderful tales. Rands published several volumes of children’s literature and contributed to various periodicals under various pseudonyms, including Browne, Henry Holbeach and T. Talker. He worked as a reporter in the House of Commons.