What do you think?
Rate this book
Introduction to Old English
This innovative introduction to the Old English language focuses on what students need to know in order to engage with Old English literary and historical texts.
332 pages, Paperback
First published May 22, 2003
52 people are currently reading
505 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
November 23, 2020
A solid introduction that can easily be used by someone with no prior knowledge of Old English. Baker’s book is well organized, easy to reference, and for the most part, clear with its explanations. I have read several books on the Old English language, and this is easily one of the best. It has different chapters on different parts of speech; he uses headings and subheadings to make it easy to go back and check something. He incorporates “minitexts” throughout, which are short, usually only about a paragraph in length. He has longer texts at the back. The glossary is clear and complete, telling not only a word’s meaning, but also to which category it belongs (e.g., “class 3 verb,” “weak adjective”).
The biggest problem with it is its online component. It is designed to be used side-by-side with online elements, which means that it is incomplete on its own. Sadly, of the three URLs listed, none worked. Whatever website he had intended is gone, and the university that had been hosting it seems to be no longer connected to Baker or his book. This meant that a lot was missing from my experience. Some things, such as the audio files for pronunciation, cannot exist in book form, for obvious reasons. But some of the absences irritated me. One of the chapters begins with the instruction to stop reading, go online, and print a chart that lists the different verb forms, pronouns, etc. It’s apparently just one page, a quick reference sheet. If it’s just one page, couldn’t he have put it in the book, too?
Good news, though! It looks as though the online content migrated to a different site. I’m guessing that the later editions of this book list the current URL, and that my experience would only apply to people who use the first edition. However, it seems like some of the content has changed, for both the books and the site. Some of the online things my book tells me to use aren’t there, and some of what is online is slightly confusing because it doesn’t follow the layout of the first edition book. (So Mr. Baker, if you’re reading this, maybe you could put some explanations on the site, too?) Something simple, like “The second syllable is emphasized because the first syllable is a prefix” or whatever the reason is. Don’t get me wrong; the site is great. It’s full of practice exercises, and it tells me whether my answers are right or wrong. It’s glorious! It’s like one of those educational computer games that kids play in grade school computer labs. It’s fun, like a game, but still informative. It’s a way to test yourself and see how much you understand the topic. But sometimes, even having read this book, I’m still not sure WHY some answers are what they are. (But hey! This is still miles beyond the other resources out there, so I’m not complaining!) I suspect that my confusion has less to do with the format of the site, than with the different layouts of the earlier edition of the book. I think the site is a better fit for the current edition.
I suspect that if I had the most recent edition, this would easily be 5 stars. Even without the online portion, it’s a solid 4.5. Lots of good information, and not overwhelming for a novice. I highly recommend this to anyone studying Old English.
The biggest problem with it is its online component. It is designed to be used side-by-side with online elements, which means that it is incomplete on its own. Sadly, of the three URLs listed, none worked. Whatever website he had intended is gone, and the university that had been hosting it seems to be no longer connected to Baker or his book. This meant that a lot was missing from my experience. Some things, such as the audio files for pronunciation, cannot exist in book form, for obvious reasons. But some of the absences irritated me. One of the chapters begins with the instruction to stop reading, go online, and print a chart that lists the different verb forms, pronouns, etc. It’s apparently just one page, a quick reference sheet. If it’s just one page, couldn’t he have put it in the book, too?
Good news, though! It looks as though the online content migrated to a different site. I’m guessing that the later editions of this book list the current URL, and that my experience would only apply to people who use the first edition. However, it seems like some of the content has changed, for both the books and the site. Some of the online things my book tells me to use aren’t there, and some of what is online is slightly confusing because it doesn’t follow the layout of the first edition book. (So Mr. Baker, if you’re reading this, maybe you could put some explanations on the site, too?) Something simple, like “The second syllable is emphasized because the first syllable is a prefix” or whatever the reason is. Don’t get me wrong; the site is great. It’s full of practice exercises, and it tells me whether my answers are right or wrong. It’s glorious! It’s like one of those educational computer games that kids play in grade school computer labs. It’s fun, like a game, but still informative. It’s a way to test yourself and see how much you understand the topic. But sometimes, even having read this book, I’m still not sure WHY some answers are what they are. (But hey! This is still miles beyond the other resources out there, so I’m not complaining!) I suspect that my confusion has less to do with the format of the site, than with the different layouts of the earlier edition of the book. I think the site is a better fit for the current edition.
I suspect that if I had the most recent edition, this would easily be 5 stars. Even without the online portion, it’s a solid 4.5. Lots of good information, and not overwhelming for a novice. I highly recommend this to anyone studying Old English.
November 30, 2017
GUESS WHO JUST FINISHED HER OLD ENGLISH CLASS?!! :D
February 15, 2013
Ok I'm not "finished" but I'm done with the part Baker wrote. I'm translating the readings now, because all the first bits worked!
The book is not exciting until chapter 13. The first half of it is grammar and phonology and other linguisticy stuff that is not fun unless you are a linguist. But it is necessary. There are a ton of grammar books out there that are just handbooks, but Baker takes it further by spending time on the fun stuff like the "contexts" of Old English -- that is, the physical places we can read it. Manuscripts, engravings on weapons and at burial sites, etc. Some of it is in runes. Other fun stuff: poetic meter and word order. Also, the reading selections are solid (much of the hit parade of OE worth translating) and start off easy, and the glossary is good. (Although no little book like this can take the place of a dictionary.)
The best thing about this book by far is the online "Workout Room." The new U of VA "Old English Aerobics" site, with the interactive boxes where you drag and drop "cwenas" and "cyningas" into the right grammatical and syntactical slots, is not only fun but it cements this stuff. The practice sentences are funny too, sometimes referring in a silly way to actual texts (This book says he was a good king!) and sometimes just making up the kinds of scenarios we ALL want to read when we finally find ourselves reading Old English (With his sword he laid waste to every man he encountered)(Bring me my beer!). But beware the exercise that uses Jonathan Swift's English to teach the parts of OE.
The book is not exciting until chapter 13. The first half of it is grammar and phonology and other linguisticy stuff that is not fun unless you are a linguist. But it is necessary. There are a ton of grammar books out there that are just handbooks, but Baker takes it further by spending time on the fun stuff like the "contexts" of Old English -- that is, the physical places we can read it. Manuscripts, engravings on weapons and at burial sites, etc. Some of it is in runes. Other fun stuff: poetic meter and word order. Also, the reading selections are solid (much of the hit parade of OE worth translating) and start off easy, and the glossary is good. (Although no little book like this can take the place of a dictionary.)
The best thing about this book by far is the online "Workout Room." The new U of VA "Old English Aerobics" site, with the interactive boxes where you drag and drop "cwenas" and "cyningas" into the right grammatical and syntactical slots, is not only fun but it cements this stuff. The practice sentences are funny too, sometimes referring in a silly way to actual texts (This book says he was a good king!) and sometimes just making up the kinds of scenarios we ALL want to read when we finally find ourselves reading Old English (With his sword he laid waste to every man he encountered)(Bring me my beer!). But beware the exercise that uses Jonathan Swift's English to teach the parts of OE.
November 30, 2017
I am at complete charity with this book. It helped me know a little bit about the time period and characteristics of Old English, which is to say it will help me a good deal in teaching Beowulf. It would also, if you were a better linguist than I am, give you an actual shot at reading Old English for real, rather than just spelling it out and trying to think of modern English cognates, like I try to do.
There are some irritations in here, such as the bizarre practice of naming the riddles by their answer--takes the fun out of it, Baker!-- and an explanation of modern English versification that I don't think works. But there are also charming lines, like "If you ponder this long enough, it may start to make some sense." (I'm a teacher. I get it.)
Generally, it's a good little introduction and has a good selection of texts to stumble through in the back, including the weird but eventually haunting Dream of the Rood and the strangely compelling The Wanderer.
There are some irritations in here, such as the bizarre practice of naming the riddles by their answer--takes the fun out of it, Baker!-- and an explanation of modern English versification that I don't think works. But there are also charming lines, like "If you ponder this long enough, it may start to make some sense." (I'm a teacher. I get it.)
Generally, it's a good little introduction and has a good selection of texts to stumble through in the back, including the weird but eventually haunting Dream of the Rood and the strangely compelling The Wanderer.
March 1, 2015
Very helpful, accessible guide to studying Old English at the introductory level. The online resources are also quite good.
November 16, 2017
It gets the job done, but I'm not a fan of the organization. And the author's interjections on some points are extremely annoying. But the Companion website is a wonderful resource to complement the book. It's worth it just for the site.
September 14, 2025
Every time I thought I became an expert I turned the page and was proven wrong. Thank you ucl
March 16, 2017
This book taught me to read Old English. There is a lot about Old English I still don't know, so I can't really fault the book's accuracy here or anything, but I did notice that the grammatical explanations were pretty dense most of the time. I'm a language nerd, so I'm used to the technical terminology here, but I still found it a slog much of the time, and I know some of my classmates had a really hard time. And I mean, it's not like the grammar is that hard. Noun and adjective declension is a pain, but also you don't even have to DO it yourself, you just have to RECOGNIZE them. Which I kept having to tell myself, but the book didn't make a habit of doing that, and I kinda wish it had.
On the plus side, the mini-dictionary at the back was reasonably useful, and I'm a big fan of how it includes a bunch of famous short Old English texts at the back.
On the plus side, the mini-dictionary at the back was reasonably useful, and I'm a big fan of how it includes a bunch of famous short Old English texts at the back.
June 3, 2023
All of the content is good, and the Old English Aerobics is a good website, but I personally have trouble going back and forth. I often want to study a book when I'm not in a place or situation to work on the computer, so having all the exercises be online makes this one tough for me.
May 19, 2017
i found this book, and the accompanying website, very helpful for my Old english class.
December 27, 2018
Great intro text to learning Old English!
December 31, 2019
Very useful resource for students of Old English literature.
October 3, 2020
It gets the job done I guess.
November 30, 2014
"In A.D. 410, the same year in which Visigoths entered and sacked Rome, the last of the Roman troops were withdrawn and the Britons had to defend themselves. Facing hostile Picts and Scots in the north and Germanic raiders in the east, the Britons decided to hire one enemy to fight the other: they engaged Germanic mercenaries to fight the Picts and Scots.
It was during the reign of Martian that the newly-hired mercenaries arrived. These were from three Germanic nations situated near the northern coasts of Europe: the Angles, the Saxon and the Jutes. According to Bede, the mercenaries succeeded quickly in defeating the Picts and Scots and then sent word to their homes of the fertility of the island and the cowardice of the Britons. They soon found a pretext to break with their employers, made an alliance with the Picts, and began to conquer the territory that would eventually be known as England - a slow-moving conquest that would take more than a century.
It has been many years since Bede's narrative was accepted uncritically, but recent research has introduced especially significant complications into his traditional account of the origins of the Anglo-Saxons. Genetic research generally suggests that neither the Anglo-Saxon invasion nor any other brought about a wholesale replacement of the British population, which has remained surprisingly stable for thousands of years: presumably the landholding and ruling classes were widely replaced while the greatest proportion of the population remained and eventually adopted Germanic ethnicity - a process that has parallels on the continent. Yet in some areas it may well be that some, at least, of the older British landholding class survived by intermarrying with the invaders. The occurrence of Celtic names among early West Saxon kings points to the possibility, and genetic research appears to bear it out, especially for the south. It increasingly appears that the 'Anglo-Saxon invasion' is as much the invasion of an ethnicity as that of a population.
Though Bede’s account cannot be accepted without reservation, his story nevertheless gives us essential information about how the Anglo-Saxons looked at themselves: they considered themselves a warrior people, and they were proud to have been conquerors of the territory they inhabited. Indeed, the warrior ethic that pervades Anglo-Saxon culture is among the first things that students notice on approaching the field.
But Europe had no shortage of warrior cultures in the last half of the first millennium. What makes Anglo-Saxon England especially worthy of study is the remarkable literature that flourished there. The Anglo-Saxon kingdoms converted to Christianity in the late sixth and early seventh centuries, and by the late seventh and early eighth centuries had already produced two major authors: Aldhelm, who composed his most important work, De Virginitate [On Virginity], twice, in prose and in verse; and the Venerable Bede, whose vast output includes biblical commentaries, homilies, textbooks on orthography, meter, rhetoric, nature and time, and of course the Historia Ecclesiastica, mentioned above. A small army of authors, Bede’s contemporaries and successors, produced saints’ lives and a variety of other works in prose and verse, largely on Christian themes.
These seventh- and eighth-century authors wrote in Latin, as did a great many Anglo-Saxon authors of later periods. But the Anglo-Saxons also created an extensive body of vernacular literature at a time when relatively little was being written in most of the other languages of western Europe. In addition to such well-known classic poems as Beowulf, The Dream of the Rood, The Wanderer, The Seafarer and The Battle of Maldon, they left us the translations associated with King Alfred’s educational program, a large body of devotional works by such writers as Ælfric and Wulfstan, biblical translations and adaptations, The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle and other historical writings, law codes, handbooks of medicine and magic, and much more. While most of the manuscripts that preserve vernacular works date from the late ninth, tenth and eleventh centuries, the Anglo-Saxons were producing written work in their own language by the early seventh century, and many scholars believe that Beowulf and several other important poems date from the eighth century. Thus we are in possession of five centuries of Anglo-Saxon vernacular literature."
It was during the reign of Martian that the newly-hired mercenaries arrived. These were from three Germanic nations situated near the northern coasts of Europe: the Angles, the Saxon and the Jutes. According to Bede, the mercenaries succeeded quickly in defeating the Picts and Scots and then sent word to their homes of the fertility of the island and the cowardice of the Britons. They soon found a pretext to break with their employers, made an alliance with the Picts, and began to conquer the territory that would eventually be known as England - a slow-moving conquest that would take more than a century.
It has been many years since Bede's narrative was accepted uncritically, but recent research has introduced especially significant complications into his traditional account of the origins of the Anglo-Saxons. Genetic research generally suggests that neither the Anglo-Saxon invasion nor any other brought about a wholesale replacement of the British population, which has remained surprisingly stable for thousands of years: presumably the landholding and ruling classes were widely replaced while the greatest proportion of the population remained and eventually adopted Germanic ethnicity - a process that has parallels on the continent. Yet in some areas it may well be that some, at least, of the older British landholding class survived by intermarrying with the invaders. The occurrence of Celtic names among early West Saxon kings points to the possibility, and genetic research appears to bear it out, especially for the south. It increasingly appears that the 'Anglo-Saxon invasion' is as much the invasion of an ethnicity as that of a population.
Though Bede’s account cannot be accepted without reservation, his story nevertheless gives us essential information about how the Anglo-Saxons looked at themselves: they considered themselves a warrior people, and they were proud to have been conquerors of the territory they inhabited. Indeed, the warrior ethic that pervades Anglo-Saxon culture is among the first things that students notice on approaching the field.
But Europe had no shortage of warrior cultures in the last half of the first millennium. What makes Anglo-Saxon England especially worthy of study is the remarkable literature that flourished there. The Anglo-Saxon kingdoms converted to Christianity in the late sixth and early seventh centuries, and by the late seventh and early eighth centuries had already produced two major authors: Aldhelm, who composed his most important work, De Virginitate [On Virginity], twice, in prose and in verse; and the Venerable Bede, whose vast output includes biblical commentaries, homilies, textbooks on orthography, meter, rhetoric, nature and time, and of course the Historia Ecclesiastica, mentioned above. A small army of authors, Bede’s contemporaries and successors, produced saints’ lives and a variety of other works in prose and verse, largely on Christian themes.
These seventh- and eighth-century authors wrote in Latin, as did a great many Anglo-Saxon authors of later periods. But the Anglo-Saxons also created an extensive body of vernacular literature at a time when relatively little was being written in most of the other languages of western Europe. In addition to such well-known classic poems as Beowulf, The Dream of the Rood, The Wanderer, The Seafarer and The Battle of Maldon, they left us the translations associated with King Alfred’s educational program, a large body of devotional works by such writers as Ælfric and Wulfstan, biblical translations and adaptations, The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle and other historical writings, law codes, handbooks of medicine and magic, and much more. While most of the manuscripts that preserve vernacular works date from the late ninth, tenth and eleventh centuries, the Anglo-Saxons were producing written work in their own language by the early seventh century, and many scholars believe that Beowulf and several other important poems date from the eighth century. Thus we are in possession of five centuries of Anglo-Saxon vernacular literature."
November 19, 2011
I'm just gonna go ahead and mark this as finished, since I've pored over the grammar for months and we're just working on translating the anthologies right now.
What a wretched textbook. For an introductory level book, it does a peculiarly poor job of introducing things and presenting information in a coherent format, and an equally poor job of explaining itself. Some paradigms are mislabelled, and information could do with some serious re-ordering (is there a good reason to present a list of common conjunctions and what they mean near the very end, when it would have been most useful BEFORE going through the translations and constantly glossing those words?).
Also, had I not studied grammar in other language courses, I get the feeling this book would not be helpful at explaining case systems or different verb tenses, etc. There were points where I was trying to puzzle out some charts and rules and was about ready to chuck it out the window and drop the class. GREAT.
Two stars for at least having what's necessary inside of it, a usable glossary, and compared to the really thorough Old English textbooks, it sort of does a good job at keeping itself introductory, just... not good enough, and definitely needs a helping hand somewhere.
What a wretched textbook. For an introductory level book, it does a peculiarly poor job of introducing things and presenting information in a coherent format, and an equally poor job of explaining itself. Some paradigms are mislabelled, and information could do with some serious re-ordering (is there a good reason to present a list of common conjunctions and what they mean near the very end, when it would have been most useful BEFORE going through the translations and constantly glossing those words?).
Also, had I not studied grammar in other language courses, I get the feeling this book would not be helpful at explaining case systems or different verb tenses, etc. There were points where I was trying to puzzle out some charts and rules and was about ready to chuck it out the window and drop the class. GREAT.
Two stars for at least having what's necessary inside of it, a usable glossary, and compared to the really thorough Old English textbooks, it sort of does a good job at keeping itself introductory, just... not good enough, and definitely needs a helping hand somewhere.
December 11, 2022
I didn’t think this was a particularly good introduction, though it’s probably the best on the market. The information could have been a lot clearer, and I think it was written for people with a linguistic background. I don’t have that background, but had to take an Old English class anyway. It (the book) would have been better if the content was more accessible to linguists and non-linguists alike.
October 24, 2016
I used this book for my university seminar on Old English and it was quite good.
It also helps to get a book on Latin grammar, if you're really interested in learning old English because the grammar is a lot more like Latin than present day English.
It also helps to get a book on Latin grammar, if you're really interested in learning old English because the grammar is a lot more like Latin than present day English.
November 28, 2012
My attempt at learning Latin grammar was pretty dismal. I thought I didn't like or wasn't good at it because I used that same textbook with the mosaic cover that everyone has been using for decades. Not true. I love grammar. Love the way this book explains the logic of the Old English language. In fact, I'm hoping to add a linguistics major, because of this book. Thanks Dr. Baker.
March 6, 2013
I don't think I read a lot of this, actually. It's okay, quite useful, but I was glad to have another text which sometimes more clearly explained this not always very introduction-y book.
November 22, 2013
Read chapters and translated from this book for an Old English language course at Baylor in Fall 2013.
March 28, 2017
A disclaimer: I have not yet fully made it through the Old English anthology that makes up the second half of the volume. I have worked through the exercises and the sections authored by Baker, as well as the 'minitexts' throughout.
This is an excellent starting point to Old English, and I would argue a better start for self-learners than Mitchell, particularly if one has never experienced the study of an ancient and heavily inflected language before. In that vein, it's an excellent all in one, feature a grammar, extensive collection of readings arranged roughly by difficulty, and a glossary to accompany them. The book also dives into Poetics as well as a little sample of manuscript reading.
A must have for reference is the Magic Sheet, produced by the author, available at the accompanying website (links included in the appendices). It sums up the essential paradigms into a single sheet.
My favorite feature of the book, unfortunately, isn't actually printed with the book itself. That feature is the much vaunted workbook, which is available online. The exercises pair with specific sections of the book and give you both practice in terms of the various inflections as well as exposing you to sentences from the start which provide a nice stepping stone into the texts contained in the book. It goes a long way to helping self-learners who might not be using a graded approach such as Reading English (another publication that I really enjoy and will be reviewing at some point in the near future).
Unfortunately, and this really is why I rated this as a 4 instead of a 5 star reference, the exercises can only be accessed via a collection of PDFs, or via an interactive workbook online. The online portion requires a login. I requested one almost immediately after acquiring the book but heard nothing back. At this point I decided to just print the PDFs out to work with directly, and that worked well although it was not particularly convenient. Three months later, after forgetting about the online portion completely, I got an email saying that I now had access to my account. The interactive version of the workbook is excellent and a pleasure to work with.
I guess the bottom line, in my opinion, is that if you are totally new to Old English and have never studied Old Norse, Latin, Ancient Greek, or similarly ancient inflected tongues, and have to choose a single book, this would probably be the one to go with. The grammar is quite comprehensive, the anthology is robust and varied, and the workbook will keep you busy for months, assuming you are like me and have to dedicate the rest of your time to work and being a Responsible Adult(tm).
This is an excellent starting point to Old English, and I would argue a better start for self-learners than Mitchell, particularly if one has never experienced the study of an ancient and heavily inflected language before. In that vein, it's an excellent all in one, feature a grammar, extensive collection of readings arranged roughly by difficulty, and a glossary to accompany them. The book also dives into Poetics as well as a little sample of manuscript reading.
A must have for reference is the Magic Sheet, produced by the author, available at the accompanying website (links included in the appendices). It sums up the essential paradigms into a single sheet.
My favorite feature of the book, unfortunately, isn't actually printed with the book itself. That feature is the much vaunted workbook, which is available online. The exercises pair with specific sections of the book and give you both practice in terms of the various inflections as well as exposing you to sentences from the start which provide a nice stepping stone into the texts contained in the book. It goes a long way to helping self-learners who might not be using a graded approach such as Reading English (another publication that I really enjoy and will be reviewing at some point in the near future).
Unfortunately, and this really is why I rated this as a 4 instead of a 5 star reference, the exercises can only be accessed via a collection of PDFs, or via an interactive workbook online. The online portion requires a login. I requested one almost immediately after acquiring the book but heard nothing back. At this point I decided to just print the PDFs out to work with directly, and that worked well although it was not particularly convenient. Three months later, after forgetting about the online portion completely, I got an email saying that I now had access to my account. The interactive version of the workbook is excellent and a pleasure to work with.
I guess the bottom line, in my opinion, is that if you are totally new to Old English and have never studied Old Norse, Latin, Ancient Greek, or similarly ancient inflected tongues, and have to choose a single book, this would probably be the one to go with. The grammar is quite comprehensive, the anthology is robust and varied, and the workbook will keep you busy for months, assuming you are like me and have to dedicate the rest of your time to work and being a Responsible Adult(tm).
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews