George Kane 1916–2008

This essay is a biographical piece on the life and scholarship of George Kane (1906-2008), a Canadian who spent most of his working life in the University of London. As general editor of the London edition of PPl, published 1960–97, he was solely responsible for the first of its three volumes, and he co-edited the second and third volumes. These volumes continue to engage academic debate, and they remain an indispensable tool for all who undertake serious work in later Middle English literature. They are complemented by Wittig’s Concordance (London, 2001) and Kane’s own Glossary (2005). From 1939 to 1946 Kane served in the British Army, and the memoir includes an account of his years as a prisoner of war. (JR)