The Best Olde & Middle English Language Books 2025

1. Word-Hoard: An Introduction to Old English Vocabulary [Paperback - Used]

CONDITION - USED - Pages can include limited notes and highlighting, and the copy can include "From the library of" labels or previous owner inscriptions. Accessories such as CD, codes, toys, may not be included. Designed for introductory courses in Old English, Word-Hoard offers a vocabulary of some 2000 words drawn from the poems that beginning students normally read. Exploiting the natural curiosity we feel about our own language, Stephen Barney draws etymological connections, provides mnemonic aids, and introduces the student to cultural and literary concepts as well as words. This second edition of his valuable book has been completely reset in a format that improves its clarity and conciseness. Reviews of the earlier edition: ?An excellent piece of work. . . . It makes learning the basic vocabulary of Old English, especially of the poetry, an adventure in ideas, adding in short compass the fascination of etymology and even semantics to the otherwise laborious and at first crude efforts to understand the texts.??John C. Pope ?It obviously reflects enthusiasm and a great deal of hard work, and it will serve very well the students for whom it is intended.??Thomas D. Hill, Speculum ?There is nothing quite like it in the literature. . . . Such a book would have been enthusiastically greeted years ago. It is doubly welcome today.?? Choice Stephen A. Barney is professor of English at the University of California at Irvine. ]]>

Word-Hoard : An Introduction to Old English Vocabulary, Used [Paperback]

2. A Book of Middle English (2nd Edition) (Hardcover - Used) 0631193529 9780631193524

This authoritative textbook introduces readers to the wide range of literature written in England between 1150 and 1400. The book opens with an introduction to the language of the time, designed to enable the reader to understand the representative pieces of Middle English literature that follow. The authors describe the language as it was used in different parts of the country, show how it evolved over this period, and offer guidance on pronunciation, grammar, metre and vocabulary. Already a standard classroom text, A Book of Middle English has been extensively enhanced for the third edition. The authors have revised key works in light of new editions, updated bibliographic entries, and have added two substantial new extracts, from Pearl and from Chaucer's Troilus and Criseyde.

Title: A Book of Middle English (2nd Edition) ISBN10: 0631193529 EAN: 9780631193524 Genre: FOREIGN LANGUAGE STUDY / Old & Middle English Author: Burrow, J. a. CONDITION - GOOD - USED - Pages can include limited notes and highlighting, and the copy can include 'From the library of' labels or previous owner inscriptions. Accessories such as CD, codes, toys, may not be included.

3. Book of Middle English [Paperback - Used]

CONDITION - USED - Pages can include limited notes and highlighting, and the copy can include "From the library of" labels or previous owner inscriptions. Accessories such as CD, codes, toys, may not be included. This revised edition takes account of suggestions and comments from reviewers and from those who have used the first edition all over the world. The main features of the second edition are the inclusion of etymologies in the glossary and the edition of three complete texts by Chaucer: The Parliament of Fowls, The Reeve's Tale and The Prioress's Tale. Part One has been revised to cover English at the time of Chaucer, and suggestions for further reading have been updated throughout the book.

A Book of Middle English, Used [Paperback]

4. A Chaucer Glossary, Used [Hardcover]

This Glossary, designed as a practical aid to the reading of Chaucer, is intended to be serviceable with any of the widely read editions. Its primary aim is to explain the meanings of words and phrases used by Chaucer in ways which are unfamiliar in modern English. Words used as they are today are not included, but many now in common use do appear, as they had different connotations in Chaucer's time. This concise working tool will be valuable to all Middle English scholars.

A Chaucer Glossary, Used [Hardcover]

5. Anglo-Saxon Primer, Used [Paperback]

Sweet's "Anglo-Saxon Primer" is possibly the most popular Old English textbook ever written. Students will find that the grammar and glossary make the sample texts far less daunting and will give them the confidence to read more widely in Old English. (Foreign Language-Dictionaries/Phrasebooks)

Anglo-Saxon Primer, Used [Paperback]

6. English Historical Metrics, Used [Hardcover]

This volume discusses current issues in Old English metrics and Middle English alliterative verse from a variety of different perspectives, ranging from the generative theory of metrics to philological studies of individual texts and editing. A distinguished team of contributors combines recent insights from nonlinear phonology with more traditional philology and work on editorial practice to produce a well-integrated view of English historical metrics.

English Historical Metrics, Used [Hardcover]

7. An Arthurian Dictionary, Used [Paperback]

Ruth Minary and Charles Moorman A compact and authoritative volume providing readers and students with information about a multitude of Arthurian characters, places and themes, from the first written records of early myths and legends through Malory's epic Morte d' Arthur.

An Arthurian Dictionary, Used [Paperback]

8. A Guide to Old English: Revised with Texts and Glossary [Paperback - Used]

CONDITION - USED - Pages can include limited notes and highlighting, and the copy can include "From the library of" labels or previous owner inscriptions. Accessories such as CD, codes, toys, may not be included. The seventh edition of this popular introduction to Old English language and literature retains the general structure and style of previous editions, but has been updated, and includes two new, much-requested texts: the Cotton Gnomes and Wulfstan's "Sermo Lupia ad Anglos" - and two new appendices: A List of Linguistic Terms Used in This Book and The Moods of Old English. Provides a range of helpful pedagogical tools: a map of Anglo-Saxon England, notes, a glossary, indexes to Part I, and a general introduction to Anglo-Saxon studies. Contains a special "How to Use this Guide" section, to aid both self-study and classroom use.

A Guide to Old English: Revised with Texts and Glossary, Used [Paperback]

9. A Handbook of Middle English, Used [Hardcover]

Professor Fernand Moss? of the Coll?ge de France is at home in all the Germanic languages and literatures, but for many years he has paid particular attention to English. Since he is a medievalist he has interested himself first and foremost in the earlier periods, and since he is a teacher as well as investigator he has been long concerned to smooth the path of students taking their first steps into a field far from our day and time. A few years ago, this concern of his ripened into a work that won general recognition as soon as it came out: his Manuel de l'Anglais du Moyen Age des Origines an XIVe Si?cle. In the Manuel the author's mastery of the material and talent for clear and orderly presentation are happily combined. In this work we have by far the best introduction to medieval English now available. -- from the Foreword

A Handbook of Middle English, Used [Hardcover]

10. Chaucer's Language, Used [Paperback]

Assuming no previous linguistic knowledge, this book introduces students to Chaucer's language and the importance of reading Chaucer in the original, rather than modern translation. The book leads students gently through basic linguistic concepts with appropriate explanation, highlighting how Chaucer's language differs from present-day English and the significance of this for interpreting his work. Close analysis and comparison with other writers is used to show how Chaucer drew on the variety of Middle English to achieve particular poetic effects.

Chaucer's Language, Used [Paperback]