As a phonetician and comparative philologist, Henry Sweet (1845 1912) produced work that was regarded as seminal, particularly in Germany, where he received greater academic recognition than in England. His textbooks on Old English have long been considered standard works. As well as theoretical and historical studies, he also became involved in more practical aspects of linguistics, devising a new kind of shorthand, discussing spelling reform, and promoting the teaching and learning of modern languages. He played a role in the early history of the Oxford English Dictionary and edited several...

This popular reader-a standard since its first edition in 1876-helps students acquire a sound elementary knowledge Old English by studying of a rich variety of poetry and prose. Selections cover a wide range of dialects and genres, from an early Northumbrian form of Caedmon's Hymn and ninth-century Kentish charters to the complete texts of The Dream of the Rood and Wulfstan's Address to the English, with ample literary and historical notes.