Beowulf and the Seventh Century: Language and Content

Fist edition, first impression.  viii, 86pp.  Orange cloth-covered boards with black  lettering on the spine.  12mo.  Cloth a little tired, gently pushed at spine ends.  Upper text block edge dust darkened, a little light toning on endpapers else neat, clean, bright and tight.  In its original paper dust wrapper, rubbed and faded, a little chipping around a sunned spine.

The three lectures, the text of which appears in this volume, were delivered at the invitation of the University of London at University College in March 1935 by Ritchie Girvan.  Girvan (1877-1958) was a Scottish literary scholar and academic, associated with the University of Glasgow for much of his career, where he made his name studying the Old English poem, Beowulf.  This is best known publication, and early reviews of the book made much of the fact that Girvan dates Beowulf to about 680-700, somewhat earlier than is generally accepted.  J R R Tolkien critiqued the work in this Beowulf - The Monsters and the Critics.