Title from incipit.

Spine title: Works of Chaucer.

Trial sheets and specimen leaves bound by J. & J. Leighton to the order of William Morris as a model for extra bound copies of the Kelmscott Press ed. of Chaucer's Works.

"In Feb. 1896, a notice was issued respecting special bindings, of which Mr. Morris intended to design four. Two of these were to have been executed under Mr. Cobden-Sanderson's direction at the Doves Bindery, & two by Messrs. J. & J. Leighton. But the only design that he was able to complete was for ... the Doves Bindery"-- S.C. Cockerell, "A short description of the Press" in W. Morris: a note on his aims in founding the Kelmscott Press, 1898, p. 47.

Side notes and headings in red.

Contains three leaves repeated: [15-16] Knight's tale, 39-40 Reves tale, and 41-42 Cook's tale.

Contains 11 leaves of Burne-Jones pictures, 11 large border leaves, 11 borders or frames for the pictures, and 5 leaves of the first text leaf with the large initial word "Whan", all of which, besides the ornamental initial letters large and small, were designed by Morris himself.

Engraved on wood by W.H. Hooper.

Bound in 15th century style: thick oak boards covered with pigskin and elaborately ornamented in blind; the tools specially cut after the original designs as found on the Apocalypse Block Book and the Richel Bible, ca. 1475.