The first and second editions of this bibliography
had been published in printed format only by Ða Engliscan Gesiþas, when it was decided to produce an electronic version. The conversion from Rich Text Format (RTF) to HyperText Markup Language (HTML) and the addition of a user-friendly interface was undertaken by John Osborne of Hafoc. The first HTML edition is here revised and updated, and includes, for the first time, URLs of other appropriate web sites. The bibliography is hosted on the world-wide web by Ða Engliscan Gesiþas and also by BUBL, thanks to Dennis Nicholson of the University of Strathclyde Library.The aim of the bibliography is to guide those interested in Anglo-Saxon studies towards the books which should inform and entertain them. It is dedicated to those who have an interest in the subject but who do not know precise bibliographic details to quote to their librarian or bookseller. It is also intended to help those who may be expert in one aspect of Anglo-Saxon studies, for example, the literature, and who have become curious about other aspects, such as the archaeological evidence.
A select bibliography is, by definition, limited. In most cases, I have excluded journal articles, individual papers in collections of essays, dissertations, titles only partly concerned with the Anglo-Saxons, and items published in languages other than Modern English, Old English and Latin. There are exceptions to these rules but, on the whole, these exclusions constitute one of the ways in which the size of this bibliography has been controlled, since the published works on this subject are extremely numerous. The types of item which have been excluded are, however, vital to the proper understanding of the subject, and all serious students of Anglo-Saxon studies are encouraged to seek them out. This bibliography offers a gateway into the wider realms of learned papers and dissertations through the bibliographies contained in the books listed here, through the reference sources listed in most sections of this bibliography and, especially, through the reference items listed in Section One.
My advice to the reader would be, having found a book in this bibliography which you want to consult, do not assume that it is currently in print, or even that it is easily available, although many are. If you plan to buy the book, your bookseller will be able to tell you if the item is in print at present, and how much it will cost. If you want to borrow the book, and it is not in stock in your library, it will usually be possible to obtain it by the inter-library loan system.
If this bibliography encourages you to read more about Anglo-Saxon England, I will be delighted, whether that reading is seriously academic or to satisfy an occasional bout of curiosity. Your reading could lead you to visit museums, to try your hand at making replicas, at painting or calligraphy or, if you live in England, to seeking out an Anglo-Saxon building, or tracing the bounds of a charter on the ground. This is not a dry-as-dust subject, but a collection of exciting detective stories seeking to reveal a world of art, literature, violence, and the everyday struggle to survive.
C.P. Biggam
Helensburgh, 1998
Dr Biggam is a chartered librarian, currently working in Strathclyde University Library, and a Visiting Lecturer in the Department of English Language, University of Glasgow. She has a degree in archaeology and a doctorate in Old English historical semantics, and has published in the areas of colour semantics, plant-studies, etymology and bibliography. Comments and suggestions about this bibliography should be sent by e-mail to C.P.Biggam@strath.ac.uk. Please remember, however, that the bibliography is not trying to be comprehensive, but to offer, under each heading, a well-balanced selection of authoritative and accurate titles which offer the best quality information published to date.