Caxton's Golden Legend, vol. II

This is volume II of the first scholarly edition of the Golden Legend, the largest and most elaborate production of the first printer in English, William Caxton. It is an English translation of Jacobus de Voragine's Legenda aurea (ca. 1267), a collection of legends for the feasts of saints (the Sanctorale) and other major days of the liturgical year (the Temporale). The Legenda aurea was one of the most popular and influential books in the later medieval Western world; it circulated widely, and was repeatedly translated into many vernacular languages.

This second volume contains Caxton's most notable addition: a series of Old Testament legends, from Adam to Judith; it contains its own explanatory notes, glossary, and Index of Proper Names. It reproduces Caxton's original text with modern punctuation and capitalization, notes on content, syntax and lexis, a detailed glossary and an index of proper names. The notes provide detailed support for the view that Caxton's text is largely based on the work of an earlier unknown writer in English. They also demonstrate that writer's strikingly independent handling of a variety of sources, including the Latin Vulgate Bible, the Historia scholastica, the French Bible historiale, and the English Cursor mundi and the Wycliffite translation of the Bible.

Mayumi Taguchi, Professor, Faculty of International Studies, Osaka Sangyo University,John Scahill, English Language Teacher, Insearch, Univeristy of Technology Sydney,Satoko Tokunga, Associate Professor, Keio University

bMayumi Taguchib is a Professor at Osaka Sangyo University; she has been involved with several editorial projects on late medieval devotional texts.



bJohn Scahillb was formerly a Professor of English at Keio University, Tokyo.



bSatoko Tokunagab is Associate Professor of English at Keio University and the Hon. Secretary for Japan of the Bibliographical Society.

Corrigenda of Volume 1 and Additions to Bibliography
List of Illustrations
List of Sigla
Abbreviations
Caxton's Golden Legend
1. Adam
2. Noe
3. Abraham
4. Isaac
5. Joseph
6. Moses
7. Ten Commandments
8. Joshua
9. Saul
10. David
11. Solomon
12. Rehoboam
13. Job
14. Tobias
15. Judith
Explanatory Notes
Glossary
Index of Proper Names