"Beowulf" is to English what the "Odyssey" and "Iliad" are to Greek literature ? the oldest example of vernacular literature of any substance not only in England but in the whole of western Europe. Since its rediscovery and the appearance of the first printed editions in the middle of the last century, this moving and dramatic epic has attracted considerable scholarly attention, and Dr Swanton is able to draw on this wealth of scholarship to present a considered and balanced introduction to the poem. Explanatory notes, drawing on archaeological sources, expand the poet's more esoteric allusions and offer background information on contemporary manners and customs. A prose translation faces the text, which should be invaluable to both students and the general reader.

The most important written work in English before the Norman Conquest, newly translated. Made up of annals written in the monasteries of Winchester, Canterbury, Peterborough, Abingdon, and Worcester, The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle marks the beginning of the unmannered simplicity of English prose. Immediately striking are the accounts of the Danish invasions and the unhappiness of Stephen's reign, together with the lyrical poem on the Battle of Brunanburh. Ranging from the start of the Christian era to 1154, the uniqueness of the chronicle as an historical and literary document makes it of compelling interest throughout. The historical, linguistic and literary importance of The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is without parallel.

The Dream of the Rood is a poem that has entranced generations of scholars. It is one of the greatest religious poems in English literature, the work of a nameless poet of superb genius. Immediately attractive, its poetic content is readily accessible to the modern reader, being in the mainstream of Western religious thought. Representative of the Golden Age of Anglo-Saxon culture, drawing on both visual and doctrinal motifs, it provides a ready introduction to its own intellectual and artistic milieu. This is underlined by intimate links with the Ruthwell Cross, the documentary context of the earlier version, and itself often regarded as one of the finest monuments of the Anglo-Saxon Age. This edition presents a conservative text with variant readings described in the notes. In his introduction Professor Swanton describes the Vercelli Book, in which the full text of The Dream of the Rood is found, and gives an account of the Ruthwell Cross, the sources for which are scattered and not normally familiar to students of Old English. The relationship between the two texts, the doctrine behind the poem and its style and structure are also discussed. The edition includes extensive notes and a glossary.

A completely new revised and enlarged edition of this classic survey of monuments in South-West England associated with the stories of King Arthur and Knights of the Round Table: the castle of Tintagel, the great hill-fort of Cadbury in south Somerset, the ruined abbey at Glastonbury and Castle Dore in south Cornwall - the setting for one of the greatest European love-stories of all time, that of Tristan and Isolde. In each case the archaeological evidence is summarised, and linked with relevant Arthurian literature. The book includes maps, plans, photographs and suggestions for further reading; it will be valuable to specialists as well as accessible to the general reader.