Print culture and the medieval author: Chaucer, Lydgate, and their books, 1473-1557

Alexandra Gillespie takes a new look at hundreds of neglected old books containing works by Chaucer, the 'father' of English poetry, and his much-maligned follower, John Lydgate.

She demonstrates that the shift from manuscript to print was part of the controversial process by which Chaucer earned his exclusive place in English literary history.