beowulf, the major surviving poem in old english, is composed in a language that is rich but often difficult. this edition makes the poem more accessible in its original language, and at the same time provides the materials necessary for its detailed study at both undergraduate andpostgraduate levels. as well as supplying a full textual commentary, george jack includes extensive running glosses beside the text in order to facilitate the reading of beowulf for students at any stage. also included is the text of the finnsburh fragment, because of its special relevance tobeowulf.