"The first volume of the new Palgrave Literary Dictionaries series aims to provide readers with a convenient source of reliable, scholarly, accessible, and up-to-date information on Chaucer's work, life and times. It consists mainly of entries ranging in length from about ten to about 3000 words, arranged in alphabetical sequence. These cover topics including the following: each of Chaucer's works; Chaucer's life; the lives of his close relatives; the writers and political figures known to him or otherwise significant in his life or to his work; the genres, techniques, and traditions relevant to his works; relevant places, actual and fictional; major literary, mythical, and historical figures and characters (from his works or relevant to them); major editions, scholars and critics. An extensive system of cross-referencing facilitates access to the information contained in the entries. The volume also provides access to the reading and a chronology of Chaucer's life and times."--Jacket.