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The Early English Text Society (EETS) is a
The Society was founded in England in 1864 by Frederick James Furnivall. Its stated goal was "on the one hand, to print all that is most valuable of the yet unprinted in English, and, on the other, to re-edit and reprint all that is most valuable in printed English books, which from their scarcity or price are not within the reach of the student of moderate means."
As of 2020, the Society had published 354 volumes in its Original Series; 126 volumes in its Extra Series, published between 1867 and 1935, comprising texts previously printed, but only in unsatisfactory or rare editions; and 25 volumes in its Supplementary Series, an occasional and irregular series initiated in 1970. The Society keeps the majority of its older publications in print, except those which have been superseded by subsequent editions. Volumes are now published on behalf of the Society by
The Society emblem is a representation of the enamel plaque of the Anglo-Saxon Alfred Jewel, omitting its gold frame, but with an added scroll bearing the Society's name.
EETS texts at Project Gutenberg
List of Early English Text Society publications
with brief descriptions {{authority control Book publishing companies of the United Kingdom Medieval literature 1864 establishments in England Learned societies of the United Kingdom Organizations established in 1864 Text publication societies
text publication society
A text publication society is a learned society which publishes (either as its sole function, or as a principal function) scholarly editions of old works of historical or literary interest, or archival documents. In addition to full texts, a text p ...
founded in 1864 which is dedicated to the editing and publication of early English texts, especially those only available in manuscript. Most of its volumes contain editions of Middle English
Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old English ...
or Old English
Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlers in the mid-5th c ...
texts. It is known for being the first to print many important English manuscripts, including Cotton Nero A.x, which contains ''Pearl
A pearl is a hard, glistening object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle) of a living shelled mollusk or another animal, such as fossil conulariids. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pearl is composed of calcium carb ...
'', ''Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
''Sir Gawain and the Green Knight'' is a late 14th-century chivalric romance in Middle English. The author is unknown; the title was given centuries later. It is one of the best-known Arthurian stories, with its plot combining two types of ...
'', and other poems.
History
The Society was founded in England in 1864 by Frederick James Furnivall. Its stated goal was "on the one hand, to print all that is most valuable of the yet unprinted in English, and, on the other, to re-edit and reprint all that is most valuable in printed English books, which from their scarcity or price are not within the reach of the student of moderate means."
As of 2020, the Society had published 354 volumes in its Original Series; 126 volumes in its Extra Series, published between 1867 and 1935, comprising texts previously printed, but only in unsatisfactory or rare editions; and 25 volumes in its Supplementary Series, an occasional and irregular series initiated in 1970. The Society keeps the majority of its older publications in print, except those which have been superseded by subsequent editions. Volumes are now published on behalf of the Society by Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...
.
Notable members
Notable members of the society when it was formed in 1864 included Furnivall himself, the Rev. Richard Morris (the editor of 12 volumes between 1862 and 1880), Walter Skeat (philologist),Alfred Tennyson
Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson (6 August 1809 – 6 October 1892) was an English poet. He was the Poet Laureate during much of Queen Victoria's reign. In 1829, Tennyson was awarded the Chancellor's Gold Medal at Cambridge for one of his ...
(poet laureate), Warren De la Rue (astronomer, chemist, and inventor), Richard Chenevix Trench (Irish ecclesiastic), and others.
Anne Hudson was the director from 2006 to 2013. The current director is Vincent Gillespie.
Logo
The Society emblem is a representation of the enamel plaque of the Anglo-Saxon Alfred Jewel, omitting its gold frame, but with an added scroll bearing the Society's name.
Cultural references
* A. N. Wilson's novel ''Wise Virgin'' (1982) centres on Giles Fox, a blind scholar who has spent 20 years editing the ''Tretis of Loue Heuenliche'', a 13th-century tract on virginity, for publication by the EETS.See also
* Aelfric Society, London publisher of Anglo-Saxon texts, 1842–1856References
External links
*EETS texts at Project Gutenberg
List of Early English Text Society publications
with brief descriptions {{authority control Book publishing companies of the United Kingdom Medieval literature 1864 establishments in England Learned societies of the United Kingdom Organizations established in 1864 Text publication societies