Introduction to Old English is a leading text designed to help students engage with Old English literature for the first time. The new third edition builds on the success of previous editions and includes numerous chapter updates, as well as expanded coverage of Old English manuscripts, runes, and other inscriptions.
The book's rich pedagogy includes basic grammar reviews at the beginning of each major chapter, covering the basics of Old English. Other features include "minitexts" for practice in reading the language, and a detailed introduction to meter and poetic style to ease the transition from prose to poetry. Additions to the anthology for this new edition include King Alfred's Preface to Pope Gregory the First's sixth-century Pastoral Care, selections from the Old English Riddles, and the epic fragments The Battle of Finnesburh and Waldere.
The third edition of Introduction to Old English confirms its reputation as an essential text for all students encountering the language for the first time.
Peter S. Baker is Professor of English, specializing in medieval literature and the history of the English language, at the University of Virginia. His previous books include editions of Byrhthferth's Enchiridion (with Michael Lapidge, 1995) and The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle: A Collaborative Edition.
