The Golden Legend (Lives of the Saints)

The Golden Legend - A collection of lives of saints

The Golden Legend is a compilation of the lives of the saints around 1260 by Jacobus de Voragine, a friar and later bishop of Genoa. His work became the most widely read book in Europe during the Middle Ages, after the Bible. Over eight hundred manuscripts had survived and it was translated into every major European language.

William Caxton translated the work into English and it was published in 1483. The work was enormously popular going through nine editions. The language however is difficult to read for modern English readers, even though the content is timeless. This version of Caxton's work seeks to preserve the original feel and language structure, while rendering the text into a more modern English.