Description:First published in the UK in hardback in 1997 by University of Exeter Press. This paperback edition first published in the UK in 1998 by University of Exeter Press. Published as a co-publication between University of Nebraska Press and University of Exeter Press.The most revered work composed in Old English, 'Beowulf' is a landmark of European literature. This handbook supplies a wealth of insights into all major aspects of this wondrous poem and its scholarly tradition and offers both a rapid survey of trends in the study of 'Beowulf' and a more sustained exploration of selected problems. Each chapter begins with a brief summary of its contents followed by a chronology of the most important books and articles on the particular topic it treats. The book has been written to accommodate the needs of a broad audience, from non-specialists who wish simply to read and enjoy 'Beowulf', to scholars at work on their own research, and students of Old English.