Andreas Capellanus wrote "De Amore", his famous Latin treatise on marriage, around 1186. Enhanced by theological, medical and legal wisdom, his book of the art of loving greatly influenced the literature of courtly love during the Middle Ages. For the first time, this new edition contains E. Trojel's 1892 Latin text, alongside a modern German translation. In addition, it contains explanatory notes on the sources and a language commentary to aid comprehension of particular passages and the difficulties of translation. A bibliography, a postscript setting the work in its literary context and numerous illustrations from medieval manuscripts round off this new edition. In terms of the history of human thought and literature, this famous text is of great relevance to literary scholars, medievalists, historians, theologians, and cultural historians, and serves as the basis for an understanding of courtly love poetry during the Middle Ages.

After becoming popularized by the troubadours of southern France in the twelfth century, the social system of 'courtly love' soon spread. Evidence of the influence of courtly love in the culture and literature of most of western Europe spans centuries. This unabridged edition of codifies life at Queen Eleanor's court at Poitiers between 1170 and 1174 into 'one of those capital works which reflect the thought of a great epoch, which explain the secret of a civilization.' This translation of a work that may be viewed as didactic, mocking, or merely descriptive, preserves the attitudes and practices that were the foundation of a long and significant tradition in English literature.

The De Amore of Andreas Capellanus (Andre the Chaplain), composed in France in the 1180s, is celebrated as the first comprehensive discussion of theory of courtly love. The book is believed to have been intended to portray conditions at Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine's court at Poitiers between 1170 and 1174, and written the request of her daughter, Countess Marie of Troyes. As such, it is important for its connections to themes of contemporary Latin lyric, in troubadour poetry and in the French romances of Chretien de Troyes. Thereafter its influence spread throughout Western Europe, so that the treatise is of fundamental importance for students of medieval and renaissance English, French, Italian and Spanish. In this comprehensive edition, P.G. Walsh includes Trojel's Latin text with his own facing English translation with explanatory notes, commentary and indexes, along with introduction which sets the treatise in its contemporary context and assesses its purpose and importance.