The Kalendarium of John Somer

John Somer was one of the leading English astronomers of the late fourteenth century. Geoffrey Chaucer likely consulted Somer s "Kalendarium" to relate dates, times, and movements of the stars and planets to events in his tales. In her introduction to this scholarly edition, Linne Mooney discusses not only Somer s importance but also Chaucer s use of the "Kalendarium" in composing his texts from "The Parliament of Fowls" through "The Canterbury Tales." She examines the thirty-three complete and nine fragmentary copies of the work known today and explains Somer s innovative and influential eclipse tables, adopted by some scribes in later copies of the "Kalendarium" of Nicholas of Lynn, a contemporary of Somer s. Somer s "Kalendarium" itself is presented in the original Latin text with English translation on facing pages. Mooney also provides full textual apparatus for the eleven complete manuscripts closest to the base text."