Anglo-Saxon prose and poetry is, without question, the major literary
achievement of the early Middle Ages (c. 700-1100). In no other
vernacular language does such a vast store of verbal treasures exist for
so extended a period of time. For twenty years the definitive guide to
that literature has been Stanley B. Greenfield's 1965 Critical History
of Old English Literature. Now this classic has been extensively revised
and updated to make it more valuable than ever to both the student and
scholar.