A Handbook of Middle English

Professor Fernand Mossé of the Collège de France is at home in all the Germanic languages and literatures, but for many years he has paid particular attention to English. Since he is a medievalist he has interested himself first and foremost in the earlier periods, and since he is a teacher as well as investigator he has been long concerned to smooth the path of students taking their first steps into a field far from our day and time. A few years ago, this concern of his ripened into a work that won general recognition as soon as it came out: his Manuel de l'Anglais du Moyen Age des Origines an XIVe Siècle. In the Manuel the author's mastery of the material and talent for clear and orderly presentation are happily combined. In this work we have by far the best introduction to medieval English now available.--from the Foreword

"A fascinating study for one with any interest in language... In the first 130 pages Mossé gives a detailed account of the grammar of the language and of the changes that were occurring; in the next 200 pages, a varied selection of texts from the 12th, 13th, and 14th centuries; and then 100 pages of notes and glossary. This is no idle-hour reading, but if one really wants to learn about the English language and literature in their formative period, this is the book."

"In a few words to manage to say so much that is really instructive and helpful to beginners, testifies to the extent of the author's experiences and activity as a teacher of the subject--and his success as such."