Recent research by Anthony Bale suggests that Salthows was one Richard Salthouse, a monk at Norwich’s cathedral priory. Modern editions of Kempe's book are based on a manuscript copied by a scribe named Salthows sometime in the fifteenth century (the original manuscript has been lost).

Kempe claimed to be illiterate and her book was dictated to two scribes who set it down. It is structured into two 'books' totaling 6047 lines the first book containing 5246 lines and the second book consisting of 801 lines.

Kempe's book is written in the third person, employing the phrase 'this creature' when referring to Kempe in order to display humility before God, via the distancing from her self by abandoning the first-person narrative form. The book is also notable for her claiming to be present at key biblical events such as the Nativity, shown in chapter six of Book I, and the Crucifixion. These interactions take place through a strong, mental connection forged between Kempe and said biblical figures. It details Kempe's life, her travels, her accounts of divine revelation including her visions of interacting with the Trinity, particularly Jesus, as well as other biblical figures. The Book of Margery Kempe is a medieval text attributed to Margery Kempe, an English Christian mystic and pilgrim who lived at the turn of the fifteenth century. Manuscript of The Book of Margery Kempe, chapter 18 (excerpt)

The book of margery kempe gutenberg