A Guide to Old English
Revised with Texts and Glossary

Bruce Mitchell (Author), Fred C. Robinson (Author)

9780802065131

Paperback / softback, published 15 December 1982

271 pages, 2 b&w tables
21.6 x 14 x 2 cm, 0.36 kg

'Dr Mitchell's Guide to Old English is a grammar book with some unusual qualities and some extra features. … They author's Foreword points to the real distinction of the book – that it 'devotes more space than is usual to the simple explanation of difficult points and to way sof reducing rote learning and of solving problems which arise for the reader of Old English texts'. This is no empty claim. ... Dr Mitchell is at pains to clarify, to systematize, to be ready with answers to the questions which, as any teacher of Old English knows, constantly aristo but aren't usually answered in an elementary grammar.'

A Guide to Old English has established itself as the most thorough and most stimulating introduction to the language of Anglo-Saxon England. This revised edition adds ten basic texts, together with full notes and a comprehensive glossary, which convert the Guide into a self-contained course book for students beginning a study of Old English. The texts, such as Cynewulf and Cyneheard, the story of Caedmon and the conversion of Edwin, are those that have traditionally been chosen by teachers precisely becasue they offer the best introduction to the literature and culture of the time. They are arranged in order of increasing difficulty. The notes and glossary constantly refer to the grammatical explanations in the Guide, so that course is fully integrated and easy to follow.