Books and Libraries in Early England / Edition 1

by Helmut Gneuss

Overview

The essays in this second volume from Helmut Gneuss are devoted to the study of books, their readers, and libraries in medieval England, especially in the Anglo-Saxon period. The selection opens with a survey of the history of the medieval English library, followed by detailed studies of Anglo-Saxon book production. These also examine its relation in the 9th century to King Alfred's plan for educational reform, and to the intellectual history of the 10th century. Two articles deal with liturgical books, and include the standard classified list of liturgical manuscripts. To end, there is an analysis of the earliest modern catalogue of books with Old English texts, that by George Hickes, and an investigation of the history of the Latin hymnal in Britain.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780860786023
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	12/31/1996
Series:	Variorum Collected Studies , #558
Pages:	328
Product dimensions:	5.88(w) x 8.81(h) x (d)

Table of Contents

Contents: Foreword; Englands Bibliotheken im Mittelalter und ihr Untergang; Anglo-Saxon libraries from the conversion to the Benedictine Reform; King Alfred and the history of Anglo-Saxon libraries; Bücher und Leser in England im zehnten Jahrhundert; Liturgical books in Anglo-Saxon England and their Old English terminology; Linguistic borrowing and Old English lexicography: Old English terms for the books of the liturgy; Zur Geschichte des Ms. Vespasian A. I.; Dunstan und Hrabanus Maurus: Zur Hs. Bodleian Auctarium F.4.32; Die Handschrift Cotton Otho A. XII; Der älteste Katalog der angelsächsischen Handschriften und seine Nachfolger; Latin hymns in medieval England: future research; Index.

Editorial Reviews

Of Books and Libraries and Language and History: 'I have nothing but praise for these two volumes which make widely available some of the most significant contributions to Anglo-Saxon studies of the last forty years.' Notes and Queries, Vol. 46, No. 1 '...this book conveniently archives the indispensable work, both general and specific, of a prolific and original scholar.' Papers of the Bibliographical Society of America 'Gneuss’s impressive and seemingly comprehensive knowledge of early English book production and libraries permeates every page of the volume....Gneuss [has] compiled a rich and diverse scholarly work that will find its way onto the shelves of all major research libraries.' Libraries and Culture, Vol. 34, No. 4

From the Publisher

A collection of 11 articles published between 1957 and 1993, six in German, dealing with the history of medieval English libraries. Offers an inventory of liturgical manuscripts written or used in Anglo-Saxon England, an analysis of lexical borrowing from Latin into English, studies of significant Anglo-Saxon manuscripts, and a history of Latin hymns and the hymnal in medieval England. Papers retain original pagination, and include brief notes covering significant recent work in their respective fields. Includes an index of manuscripts and of Old English words. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

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