The Canterbury Tales (14th century) by: Geoffrey Chaucer / the original Middle English version. /

Chaucer's Canterbury Tales presented in the original Middle English version.

They are a collection of stories written at the end of the 14th century; given mostly in verse, (although a number of them are in prose) they are told as part of a story-telling contest by a group of pilgrims during their travel together on a journey from Southwark to the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral.
The first version of the tales to be published in print is William Caxton's 1478 print edition.