This new series occupies a middle ground between textbooks on the history of English, typically addressed to the undergraduate student, and handbooks on English historical linguistics, typically addressed to the scholar. The volumes would be suitable for use in an advanced (graduate) course as well by researchers in the field. They provide comprehensive coverage of the history of English, arranged by linguistic level and period, as well as current linguistic research into key questions and debates in English historical linguistics written by leading authorities. The first volume provides an overview of the history of English, the second to fourth volumes focus on the Old, Middle, and Early Modern English periods, and the fifth volume treats language variation from an historical perspective. More specialized topics not typically treated in textbooks (such as pragmatics, discourse, literary language, sociolinguistics) are included. Each volume is free standing and can be used on its own or in combination.
