A guide to Old English

by Bruce Mitchell

English

Genres: Language, Nonfiction, Reference, Linguistics, History, Medieval, Anglo Saxon

271 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1964

Reviews

[Molly]

Haha look - this is on Goodreads!

I mean.. ahem. It is my view that the linguistic nuances of Old English poetry are lost completely in translation. Every lover of literature should get this book and learn Old English. For how can the opening "Hwaet" of Beowulf possibly be rendered in our sloppy modern attempts at expression? How can the suffering of the Seafarer bite at the soul of a reader when the original meter is compromised? What craft have you? Where has gone the horse? Where the rider? Where the giver of treasure? Alas for the bright cup!

[Neil]

I have really fond memories of this book and can remember buying it many years ago. At that period Mitchell and Robinson's books were all the rage. I remember picking up a pristine hardcover edition from a bookshop and have treasured it ever since.

The book itself is a pretty good introduction and teach yourself guide to the Old English Language with a selection of Old English texts and a glossary. The first section contains really useful sections on everything from pronunciation to syntax, while the second section contains the texts that the user can practice their newly acquired translating skills on.

While this book is nowhere near as comprehensive as Campbell's Old English Grammar or Mitchell's Old English Syntax and thankfully it doesn't pretend to be either, it is a lot less stuffy sounding than Sweet's Primer and Reader and much more fun to read for the patient beginner.

[Rianna]

19/45 books read in 2017.
10/23 bookshelf read in 2017.

This book is aimed at native speakers of English, if you know German/have taken classes in German you will know some parts already (just with some new words I couldn't seem to remember -_-)
Definitely need to re-read if I really want to master Old English, but my course is done. ;)

[Lindsay]

This is one of the best language primers I've used. I really hate the phrase "makes history come ALIVE" but...well...the book goes out of its way to explain how culture affects language, and how Old English affects the language we speak today. Some of the poems (The Wanderer comes to mind) are unspeakably sad and beautiful.

[Leslie Mae]

Six weeks after I began I'm reading Old English thanks to the wonderful guidance of a good professor and this perceptive book. Mitchell & Robinson think of all the grammatical conundrums and explain them with simplicity so that in 4-6 weeks you to can read Anglo-Saxon poetry, and let there be no question - it's entirely worth the effort to translate the poems.

[Kyle]

What a backwards way to learn a language. I taught myself by just reading the sample texts in the back with a glossary. You pick up declensions as you go. It would be better if the text started you reading OE right away and explained the grammar as it came up and as was necessary rather than dumping 100 pages of OE grammar on you to memorize with no context.

[Phillip]

This book provides a description of Anglo Saxon, many examples to learn, and an impressive bibliography of sources to launch one's studies.

[Steve Luttrell]

Aimed at autodidacts as well as traditional students. The author *loves* OE, and you can tell.

[Allegra Goodman]

Long ago, kids, when I was in grad school, we had to take a class in Old English as part of our coursework for a PhD. I loved it! And we used this essential book with includes poetry in Old English and explanations of grammar. I'd never been interested in "Beowulf" before I learned to decipher it a little in Old English. Then the verses began to come alive for me. If you like this period and you are interested in this poetry, do yourself a favor and dip into this classic volume.

[Edelweiss]

Not really always the best explained, but has a good selection of Old English in the back, and a fairly good glossary.

[Karen]

Helpful

I used this text for an old English class. Helpful book in understanding and translating old English. It takes time and effort, but I’m on my way to mastering it.

[Thirza]

clear explanation of Old English, easy to work with & conveniently structured.

[RR]

Totally loved it. Perfect for beginners!

[Emily]

DNF. Old English is harder to learn than I expected.

[Mery]

Solo Literatura Inglesa Medieval ha conseguido que me lea/estudie un libro y varios essays para un examen final… nice.

[Brent Barnard]

I love Old English, and this is an old textbook that I keep trying to read again, but can't seem to find the time! One day! I'm putting it in the "read" category because I don't know when I'll ever have time to master it.

[Jade]

A great way to introduce yourself to some Old English prose and poetry and includes an excellent glossary. I'm very thankful for this text providing some of the means towards the skills I needed for my master's dissertation.

[Othy]

Rather confusing in its explanation of the grammar, but a really good collection of graduated things to translate (and with a good glossary to boot).

[Dan]

Of all the texts I used to teach myself Old English, this one was the most useful. It's accessible (sometimes a little too pedantic) and provides the necessary information in a clear format.

[Keith Miller]

A Guide to Old English by Bruce Mitchell (2006)

[Stephanie Fysh]

Guide to Old English by Bruce Mitchell (1965)

[CJ]

A very strong grammar and methodical reference, with texts. Not necessarily the most accessible, as it assumes some linguistic theory.

[A.L.]

Absolutely excellent

[Fred]

Good resource and one that will need to be read again.

[Gwan]

Can't really comment on it as a guide for the autodidact, since we just used it for the OE texts at university, but a good introduction to some of the OE greats.

[Teddy]

A very good introduction to Old English, both in terms of grammar and literature.

[Richard]

sdsdd