Piers Plowman

The most important English poem you've never been able to read — and now you can.

William Langland wrote Piers Plowman in the 1370s, and it changed English literature. A dreamer named Will falls asleep on the Malvern Hills and witnesses a world gone wrong: corrupt priests, lying lawyers, lazy laborers, and a society that has lost its way. Through a series of vivid, often surreal dream visions, he searches for truth, goodness, and the meaning of a well-lived life. Along the way he meets personified virtues and vices — Holy Church, Lady Meed (bribery), the Seven Deadly Sins, Conscience, Reason, and the mysterious Piers the Plowman himself.

The problem is the language. Langland wrote in Middle English — the same language as Chaucer, but rougher, more alliterative, and harder to crack without training. Most readers bounce off the first page.

This side-by-side edition puts Langland's original Middle English on the left and a clear, modern English version on the right. Same passage, same page. When the Middle English loses you, glance across. When the modern version hooks you, look left to hear how Langland actually wrote it.

No endnotes. No second book. No guessing. Just open it and read.

What readers get:
- The complete B-text — Prologue plus all 20 passus, unabridged
- Langland's Middle English matched passage-for-passage with modern prose
- A brief summary at the start of every passus so you always know where you are
- Latin quotations translated inline with source references
- Contextual notes explaining medieval customs, allegorical figures, and theological concepts

Who this is for:
- Students assigned Piers Plowman who want to understand it — not just survive it
- Readers who tried Langland, hit Middle English, and gave up
- Anyone interested in medieval social criticism, allegory, or the roots of English literature

The Field Full of Folk. The Seven Deadly Sins confessing. The Harrowing of Hell. Piers tearing the pardon. It's all here — and this time, you'll read every word of it.