Old English Poems, Prose & Lessons
Anglo-Saxon Language
read by Stephen Pollington

These 2 CDs can be used with First Steps in Old English or just listened to
for the pleasure of hearing Old English spoken well.

Kings & Dates - CD 1
1 Capture of the Five Boroughs
2 Alfred on Athelney - ASC 878
3 Cynewulf and Cyneheard - ASC 755
4 The Danes' Harrying - ASC 997
5 The Arrival of the English - Bede
6 Battle of Brunanburh
Crime & Punishment
7 Extracts from the Laws of King Ine
8 The Ordeal
Health & Wellbeing
9 Leechdoms - medical texts
10 Charm Against a Dwarf
11 Charm Against a Wen
12 Charm Against Waterelf Sickness
13 Nine Herbs Charm
14 Journey Charm
15 Wið Ymbe - for a swarm of bees
Verse
16 Wulf & Eadwacer
17 Funeral of Scyld Scefing - Beowulf
18 The Wanderer
19 Deor
20 Beowulf's Greeting - Beowulf
21 Durham
General - CD 2
22-38 Reading Exercises
39-41 Pronunciation Guide
42-46 Conversational Old English

£11.95 incl vat ISBN 1-898281-46-7 2 CDs

For Old English transcript and details of tracks

Alfred's Metres of Boethius
Edited by Bill Griffiths

In this new edition of the Old English Metres of Boethius, clarity of text, informative notes and a helpful glossary have been a priority, for this is one of the most approachable of Old English verse texts, lucid and delightful; its relative neglect by specialists will mean this text will come as a new experience to many practised students of the language; while its clear, expositional verse style makes it an ideal starting point for all amateurs of the period.

In these poems, King Alfred re-built the Latin verses from Boethius' De Consolatione Philosophiae ("On the Consolation of Philosophy") into new alliterative poems, via an Old English prose intermediary. The stirring images and stories of Boethius' original are retained - streams, legends, animals, volcanoes - and developed for an Anglo-Saxon audience to include the Gothic invasion of Italy (Metre 1), the figure of Welland the Smith (Metre 10), and the hugely disconcerting image of Death's hunt for mankind (Metre 27).

The text is in effect a compendium of late classical science and philosophy, tackling serious issues like the working of the universe, the nature of the soul, the morality of power - but presented in so clear and lively a manner as to make it as challenging today as it was in those surprisingly UN-Dark Ages. The texts are in Old English without Modern English translations.

£14·95 ISBN 1-898281-03-3 10"x7" 208 pages

The Battle of Maldon - Text and Translation
Translated and edited by Bill Griffiths

The Battle of Maldon was fought between the men of Essex and the Vikings in AD 991. The action was captured in an Anglo-Saxon poem whose vividness and heroic spirit has fascinated readers and scholars for generations. The Battle of Maldon includes the source text; edited text; parallel literal translation; verse translation; notes on pronunciation; review of 103 books and articles. This new edition (the fourth) includes notes on Old English verse.

Edited Old English text with parallel literal modern English translation.

£4·95 A5 ISBN 0-9516209-0-8 96 pages

Beowulf - Text and Translation
Translated by John Porter

The verse in which the story unfolds is, by common consent, the finest writing surviving in Old English, a text that all students of the language and many general readers will want to tackle in the original form. To aid understanding of the Old English, a literal word-by-word translation is printed opposite the edited text and provides a practical key to this Anglo-Saxon masterpiece.

£8·95 A5 ISBN 0-9516209-2-4 192 pages

A Departed Music
Readings in Old English Poetry
Walter Nash

The readings of this book take the form of passages of translation from some Old English poems. The author paraphrases their content and discuses their place and significance in the history of poetic art in Old English society and culture. Underlying the composition of the book is the idea of an Anglo- Saxon Poetics

£16·95

ISBN 1-898281-37-8 hardback 248mm high x 170mm 176 pages

First Steps in Old English
An easy to follow language course for the beginner
Stephen Pollington

This revised and expanded edition was first published October 2004

A complete, well presented and easy to use Old English language course that contains all the exercises and texts needed to learn Old English. This course has been designed to be of help to a wide range of students, from those who are teaching themselves at home, to undergraduates who are learning Old English as part of their English degree course. The author is aware that some people have difficulty with grammar. To help overcome this problems he has adopted a step-by-step approach that enables students of differing abilities to advance at their own pace. The course includes practice exercises.

£16-95 ISBN 1-898281-38-6 245 x 170mm / 10 x 6½ inches 256 pages

Some of the texts used in this book are read by the author on the audiotape Ærgeworc.
A correspondence course with the author is also available. For details email jm006a9431@blueyonder.co.uk

An Introduction to the Old English Language and its Literature
Stephen Pollington

The purpose of this general introduction to Old English is not to deal with the teaching of Old English but to dispel some misconceptions about the language and to give an outline of its structure and its literature. Some basic knowledge about the origins of the English language and its early literature is essential to an understanding of the early period of English history and the present form of the language.

This revised and expanded edition provides a useful guide for those contemplating embarking on a linguistic journey.

£4·95 ISBN 1-898281-06-8 A5 64 pages

Wordcraft
A concise Modern English to Old English dictionary and thesurus
Stephen Pollington

Wordcraft provides Old English equivalents to the commoner modern words in both a dictionary and thesaurus. Previously the lack of an accessible guide to vocabulary deterred many would-be students of Old English.

Wordcraft combines the core words relating to everyday life with a selection of terms connected with society, culture, technology, religion, perception, emotion and expression to encompass all aspects of Anglo-Saxon experience.

The Thesaurus presents vocabulary relevant to a wide range of individual topics in alphabetical lists, thus making it easy to find specific areas of interest. Each thematic listing is cross-reference from the Dictionary. The two sections will be of invaluable assistance to students of the language, as well as those with either a general or a specific interest in the Anglo-Saxon period.

£9·95 A5 ISBN 1-898281-02-5 10" x 7" 255mm x 180mm 240 pages