The Equatorie of the Planetis, a Middle English text on the construction and use of a planetary equatorium, was composed in 1393. The unique manuscript, which appears to be the author's original, belongs to Peterhouse, Cambridge. In 1952 it was brought to general attention by Derek Price who argued that the text was written by Geoffrey Chaucer. Whether the Equatorie is indeed Chaucer's has remained controversial ever since.
Dr Rand Schmidt's book offers a detailed examination of the literary, linguistic and codicological evidence linking the authorship of the Equatoriewith Chaucer. She analyses and compares the manuscript with other specimens proposed as Chaucer's hand, and evaluates the available methods of testing. The volume includes a new transcription of the Equatorieaccompanied by a facsimile of the MS, and a KWIC-concordance to the text. Diplomatic transcriptions of three Middle English astronomical texts have also been included and are printed here for the first time.
Dr KARI ANNE RAND SCHMIDT is a language specialist, teaching in the Department of English at the University of Oslo.