The introduction begins by establishing Chaucer’s place at the epicentre of intersections between the medieval past and an early modern present. It presents a new angle on the history of the Chaucerian book, suggesting that the poet’s prominence in early modern print facilitated continued interest in his medieval manuscript volumes. Next, it explores the cultural status of manuscripts in early modern England and considers how, why, and by whom medieval manuscripts were sold, collected, read, and even remade. It compares the relative authority and desirability of old manuscripts to print, and highlights the importance of both media within early modern antiquarian circles. Finally, the introduction re-evaluates the concept of the hybrid book and proposes that the historically attested idea of perfecting be added to the critical lexicon for the study of early modern reading. Through a series of contemporary examples which illustrate its usage in the context of bibliographical completeness, it contends that perfecting offers a nuanced means of characterising the updates that readers made to their old books in the spirit of improvement.