Irma Taavitseinen

Index of manuscripts in Middle English prose contained in Scandinavian libraries This volume examines libraries in Scandinavia containing Middle English prose texts: the Royal Library of Copenhagen, Denmark, the Royal Library of Stockholm, the University Library of Uppsala, Sweden, and the Sch yen Collection in Oslo, Norway. An extensive collection of alchemical writings in Copenhagen is listed for the first time. Medical texts are well represented, including Lanfrank's surgery and a Canutus treatise in Copenhagen, and the famous medical miscellanies in Stockholm. Uppsala has a number of religious works. The SchØyen Collection is a private MS collection containing items of Middle English prose.

The Index of Middle English Prose is an international collaborative project which will ultimately locate, identify and record all extant Middle English prose texts composed between c.1200 and c.1500, in both manuscript andprinted form in medieval and post-medieval versions. The first step towards this goal has been this series of Handlists, each recording the holdings of a major library or group of libraries. Compiled by scholars, Handlists include detailed descriptions ofeach prose item with identifications, categorisations and full bibliographical data. Every Handlist will also contain a series of indexes including listings of opening and closing lines, authors, titles, subject matter and rubrics. For students of the middle ages Handlists provide essential bibliographical tools and shed light on a wide range of subjects.