El. knyga: Books and Libraries in Early England [Taylor & Francis e-book]

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.

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.