Each chapter is about a different saint or Christian festival.
Written in simple, readable Latin, the book was read in its day for its stories. It was one of the first books William Caxton printed in the English language Caxton's version appeared in 1483 and his translation was reprinted, reaching a ninth edition in 1527. During the height of its popularity the book was so well known that the term "Golden Legend" was sometimes used generally to refer to any collection of stories about the saints. Among incunabula, printed before 1501, Legenda aurea was printed in more editions than the Bible and was one of the most widely published books of the Middle Ages.
When printing was invented in the 1450s, editions appeared quickly, not only in Latin, but also in almost every major European language. It overtook and eclipsed earlier compilations of abridged legendaria, the Abbreviatio in gestis et miraculis sanctorum attributed to the Dominican chronicler Jean de Mailly and the Epilogus in gestis sanctorum of the Dominican preacher Bartholomew of Trent. Initially entitled Legenda sanctorum ( Readings of the Saints), it gained its popularity under the title by which it is best known. Saint Margaret attracts the attention of the Roman prefect, by Jean Fouquet from an illuminated manuscript
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