The Caedmon Manuscript

Reviews / Votes

Bernard Muir's edition of Junius 11 offers an authoritative text based on careful scholarship. Beyond that, this edition provides complete paleographical notes, art-historical commentary, and a wealth of codicological data and analysis that will support a variety of research tracks for years to come - Susan E. Deskis, Professor of English, emerita, Northern Illinois University An excellent companion to the Bodleian Library's digitized Junius 11, The Caedmon Manuscript provides a foundational review of scholarship on the codex and an edition of its poetry that, with attention to scribal practices and precise notes, is invaluable for understanding the text as it is presented on the page- Janet Ericksen, Professor, University of Minnesota Morris With its codicological and art-historical analyses and a presentation of the texts more closely reflecting scribal activity than in any preceding editions, Muir's edition of this unique anthology is to be commended for setting the poems in their manuscript context in a way not previously achieved -Joyce Hill, Emeritus Professor, University of Leeds. This is a admirably clear and careful edition of a major Old English poetic manuscript. Muir's detailed textual presentation and meticulous attention to the manuscript makes this a useful and important addition to the literature on Junius 11- R.M. Liuzza, University of Tennessee-Knoxville Muir's edition of the so-called "Junius manuscript" offers a fresh addition to scholarship on this important poetic codex, and a vital companion to his earlier digital facsimile edition. Muir's expert editorial eye ensures that these texts will long be appreciated as the earliest biblically derived poems in the English language- Samantha Zacher, Professor in the Department of Literatures in English at Cornell University. The Caedmon manuscript is one of the most important witnesses of Old English literature, and Bernard Muir's edition of it, alongside his invaluable commentary, is a very welcome contribution that furthers our understanding of the elusive literary culture at the very beginnings of English poetry- Tristan Major, Book Review Editor, The Journal of Medieval Latin, Canada Another successful foray into the complex world of early medieval English manuscripts, Muir's new edition of MS Junius 11 will become as indispensable as his other editions for years to come. He leaves no accent mark out, no scribal peculiarity unnoted. The book is a welcome contribution to the field -Robert E. Bjork, Foundation Professor of English, Arizona State University Bernard Muir's excellent new edition of the four Old English biblical poems preserved in Bodleian Library MS Junius 11 is the first to appear in print in nearly a century. Furnished with an up-to-date Introduction, textual notes and detailed art-historical commentary, this elegant volume will serve as the standard scholarly resource for many years to come - Francis Leneghan, Professor of Old English, University of Oxford. An excellent Memorial Fund acquisition choice for community, college, and university library collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, and non-specialist readers with an interest in Medieval Literature - Midwest Review