University of Manchester - Literary treasures to go digital

A 600-year-old recipe book compiled by the master cook of Richard II called Forme of Cury is among the items that can now be downloaded from the University of Manchester's John Rylands Library. The library plans to digitise a renowned collection of more than 40 Middle English manuscripts with new funding from the Joint Information Systems Committee. Other items available include one of the earliest manuscripts of the Canterbury Tales by Chaucer and 500-year-old translations of the Bible into English. The work begins in October and will be completed in late 2009.