Excerpt from An Anglo-Saxon Reader in Prose and Verse: With Grammatical Introduction, Notes, and GlossaryIn a work of limited extent like the present it is necessary to exercise definite p_rinciples of selection both as regards the texts themselves and their illustration and elucidation. Hence the w ofhall dialectal specimens, both as requiring a disproportionate amount of comment, and as tending to confuse the student's ideas. Hence also the absence of antiquarian and historical elucidation. There can be no question that the first object of all who occupy themselves with Old English literature, whether with a view to the literature itself, to historical investigations, or to a better understanding of the development of the English language generally, must be to acquire a sound elementary knowledge of the language itself. Everything else will then follow naturally.About the PublisherForgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.comThis book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully, any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.