De Situ Dunelmi (On Durham): The Last Poem in Old English, 1996, 1/20, Near Fine

De Situ Dunelmi (On Durham): The Last Poem in Old English Author: David Crane et al. Publisher: The Old School Press Release Date: 1996 Seller Category: SMALL PRESS Qty Available: 1 Condition: Used: Excellent Sku: 02235 Notes: Near Fine, one of twenty copies, 8vo, 10 1/2" x 8." Bilingual text in original Anglo-Saxon and English. Orange paper-covered boards with tipped-in title label printed in black ink on white paper on front. No lettering to spine. Original prospectus for this book laid in (one leaf of white paper with printed lettering). Covers have minuscule surface wear and slight bumping to head and tail of spine, else pristine and intact, binding tight, sharp tips. Prospectus has minuscule edge wear, else pristine and intact. Pages pristine and intact. A few black-and-white illustrations included. Unpaginated, 12 pp., including illustrations. A bilingual translation of _De Situ Dunelmi_, which means "On Durham" in English. _On Durham_ was written anonymously in the twelfth century and is noted for being the last traditional alliterative metrical verse to be written in Old English (Anglo-Saxon) from that time period. The poem is about the English town of Durham and its relics and is thought to commemorate the translation of Cuthbert's relics to Durham Cathedral in 1104. The poem has been translated from the original Anglo-Saxon into English by David Crane and both translations are contained herein. Back colophon: "Some three hundred & fifty copies of this book were printed with hand-set Caslon Old Face type on Zerkall mould-made paper. This is one of twenty special copies bound by Rachel James for friends of the Press in hand-made kozo paper. The illustration is by Wendy Batt and is her copyright. The engraving below was printed from a nineteenth century woodblock." Heavy and oversized items may require additional shipping.