Demon of Vanity and Coquette - Book of the Knight of the Tower

''The Book of the Knight of the Tower'' (full French title: ''Livre pour l'enseignement de ses filles du Chevalier de La Tour Landry'') is a book commenced by Geoffroy IV de la Tour Landry in 1371, and which he continued writing at least until 1372. It was translated into English (as ''The Book of the Knight of the Tower'') by

William Caxton William Caxton ( – ) was an English merchant, diplomat and writer. He is thought to be the first person to introduce a printing press into England, in 1476, and as a printer to be the first English retailer of printed books. His parentage a ...

and completed, according to his colophon, on 1 June 1483, during the reign of Edward V. It was further translated into

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

as ''Der Ritter vom Turn'' in 1493. The ''Livre pour l'enseignement de ses filles'' served as a tutorial for De la Tour Landry's daughters on proper behavior when visiting the royal court, which, the knight warns, is filled with smooth-talking courtiers who could potentially disgrace them and embarrass the family. The author was a widower, and concerned for his daughters' welfare. He takes a strong moral stance against the behavior of his peers and warns his daughters about the dangers of

vanity Vanity is the excessive belief in one's own abilities or attractiveness to others. Prior to the 14th century it did not have such narcissistic undertones, and merely meant ''futility''. The related term vainglory is now often seen as an archaic ...

. The German ''Der Ritter vom Turm'' was the work of Marquard von Stain, a member of the Swabian nobility. He himself had two daughters, Elsa and Jakobea, for whose benefit he claims to have translated the French text. Another English translation older than Caxton's survives in manuscript;

British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the British ...

Harley Harley may refer to: People * Harley (given name) * Harley (surname) Places * Harley, Ontario, a township in Canada * Harley, Brant County, Ontario, Canada * Harley, Shropshire, England * Harley, South Yorkshire, England * Harley Street, in L ...

no. 1764. The manuscript was written in the reign of Henry VI of England.Wright, Thomas, ed., ''The Book of the Knight of La Tour-Landry'', EETS, N. Trübner (1868), xiv, (Wright supplied the defects of the manuscript from Caxton in this edition)

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External links

Text of ''The Book of the Knight of the Tower''French text from Wikisource
{{DEFAULTSORT:Book of the Knight in the Tower, The 1371 books 1483 books French non-fiction books Medieval French literature