This journal is owned, managed and published by Cambridge University Press.

Anglo-Saxon England is affiliated with the International Society for the Study of Early Medieval England. 

The origins of Anglo-Saxon England can be traced back to early 1969, when plans were being laid, in Toronto, for an ‘Old English Yearbook’, and, in Cambridge, for a more widely ranging journal covering all aspects of Anglo-Saxon studies. The documentation begins with a letter from John Leyerle (Director, Centre for Medieval Studies, University of Toronto) to Peter Clemoes (Emmanuel College, Cambridge), dated 12 May 1969, and a reply from PAMC to Leyerle, dated 2 July 1969 (both preserved in the ASE editorial archive). There were some complications thereafter; but the negotiations continued. On 12 November 1969, within weeks of his taking up office as Elrington and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon, in Cambridge, Clemoes submitted a formal proposal to the Cambridge University Press for the publication of a new periodical embracing all aspects of the ‘civilization of England before the Norman Conquest’, with an editorial board drawn from across all countries where Anglo-Saxon studies were pursued. The proposal was accepted in December 1969, and contributions were invited for the first volume, to be published in the spring of 1972. In a letter to R. R. Darlington, dated 30 July 1971, Professor Dorothy Whitelock remarked on the impending publication of the first volume (which began with her article on ‘The pre-Viking age church in East Anglia’): ‘The title will annoy Doris [Lady Stenton], but I had nothing to do with it; she thinks ‘Anglo-Saxon England’ must be used only for Sir Frank’s book.’ From its first appearance, in 1972, ASE has identified itself as an annual publication ‘drawing together the many strands that go to make up Anglo-Saxon studies’. Articles have ranged across the different but complementary disciplines which comprise the field (Old English language and literature, Insular Latin language and literature, history, archaeology, numismatics, palaeography, place-names, art-history, etc.).

The journal’s motto or strap-line (‘Here one can still see their track’) is taken from King Alfred’s preface to the Old English translation of Pope Gregory’s Cura pastoralis. From the outset, the journal has also carried on its front cover a representation of the obverse of Alfred’s ‘London Monogram’ penny. For many years (from 1972 to 1998) it was stated in each volume that the penny ‘was issued to celebrate King Alfred’s occupation and fortification of London in 886’; but from vol. 28, published in 1999 (the millennium of Alfred’s death), the wording was altered to indicate that the London Monogram type was ‘issued at London in the early 880s, reflecting Alfred’s assumption of political control over the city’.

The ASE stylesheet. The conventions set out in this style sheet originated in the early 1970s, and were developed in the late 1970s and early 1980s under instruction from Professor Peter Clemoes and in the light of experience communicated by the journal’s copy editors. Thirty years later there is no longer a need to insist on clear mark-up of special characters, adequate margins, strong ribbon copies, and legible carbon copies; but there remains a need to explain some of the basic principles in order to achieve accuracy, consistency, and effectiveness for scholarly purposes, across all contributions within a volume and from one volume to the next. Some modifications reflect the advance of scholarship in the fields represented by this journal; it has become necessary at the same time to set out the practices to be followed by contributors in preparing and submitting their articles in electronic form, in the use and citation of online and other electronic resources, in the provision of digital images, and in the correction of proofs. The editors express their thanks to the production team at the Cambridge University Press, and to Clare Orchard, Debby Banham and Brittany Schorn for their support in every respect.

Bibliography. The first 40 volumes of the journal incorporated an annual bibliography, which over the years increased in average length from about 30 pages to about 125 pages; if reprinted, the bibliographies would cover about 2,500 pages (1971–2010). Some years ago the references in the bibliographies were converted into an electronic database; more recently, the bibliography began to be produced in this way. An cumulative bibliography, published online by the CUP, in continued association with the journal (in its print and online forms), will be launched at ISAS Glasgow 2015, for further development hereafter.

Online publication. Articles of the separate contributions in all volumes (back to the first), including the annual bibliographies and indexes as well as the articles, can be viewed and downloaded (within subscribing institutions) via ‘Cambridge Journals Online’.

This website also offers a ‘Most Downloaded’ button, which shows the top ten ‘most-read’ articles for the previous year, updated on a monthly basis.

Conspectus of ASE, vols. 1–43

ed. Clemoes

1 (1972): editor’s preface, pp. ix–xi; pp. 1–307 articles; pp. 309–32 bib 71

2 (1973): pp. 1–302 articles; pp. 303–33 bib 72

3 (1974): pp. 1–231 articles; pp. 233–70 bib 73

4 (1975): pp. 1–221 articles; pp. 223–62 bib 74

5 (1976): editor’s preface, p. ix; pp. 1–243 articles; pp. 245–80 bib 75; INDEX vols. 1–5

6 (1977): pp. 1–265 articles; pp. 267–316 bib 76

7 (1978): pp. 1–266 articles; pp. 267–303 bib 77

8 (1979): pp. 1–333 articles; pp. 335–76 bib 78

9 (1981 [for 1980]): pp. 1–280 articles; pp. 281–318 bib 79

10 (1982 [for 1981]): pp. 1–244 articles; pp. 245–84 bib 80; INDEX vols. 6–10

11 (1983 [for 1982]): pp. 1–274 articles; pp. 275–335 bib 81

ed. Clemoes, with Keynes & Lapidge

12 (1983): pp. 1–275 articles; pp. 277–329 bib 82

13 (1984): ISAS 83 Brussels & Ghent; pp. 7–268 articles; pp. 269–321 bib 83; + adverts

14 (1985): pp. 1–317 articles; pp. 319–68 bib 84; + adverts

15 (1986): ISAS 85 Cambridge; pp. 5–204 articles; pp. 205–53 bib 85; INDEX vols. 11–15

16 (1987): pp. 1–308 articles; pp. 309–55 bib 86

17 (1988): ISAS 87 Toronto; pp. 5–281 articles; pp. 283–335 bib 87

18 (1989): pp. 1–243 articles; pp. 245–92 bib 88

ed. Lapidge, with Godden & Keynes

19 (1990): ISAS 89 Durham; pp. 5–246 articles; pp. 247–88 bib 89

20 (1991): pp. 1–229 articles; pp. 231–79 bib 90; INDEX vols. 16–20

21 (1992): ISAS 91 Stony Brook NY; pp. 5–264 articles; pp. 265–315 bib 91

22 (1993): pp. 1–279 articles; pp. 281–325 bib 92

23 (1994): ISAS 93 Oxford; pp. 5–289 articles; pp. 291–333 bib 93

24 (1995): pp. 1–308 articles; pp. 309–58 bib 94

25 (1996): ISAS 95 Stanford; pp. 7–232 articles; pp. 233–82 bib 95; INDEX vols. 21–5

26 (1997): pp. 1–263 articles; pp. 265–315 bib 96

27 (1998): ISAS 97 Palermo; pp. 5–294 articles; pp. 295–344 bib 97

28 (1999): pp. 1–356 articles; pp. 357–428 bib 98

29 (2000): ISAS 99 Notre Dame; pp. 5–296 articles; pp. 297–358 bib 99

30 (2001): pp. 1–245 articles; pp. 247–314 bib 00; INDEX vols. 26–30

31 (2002): ISAS 01 Helsinki; pp. 7–273 articles; pp. 275–368 bib 01

32 (2003): pp. 1–305 articles; pp. 307–406 bib 02

33 (2004): pp. 1–281 articles; pp. 283–393 bib 03

ed. Godden & Keynes

34 (2005): ISAS 03 Arizona; pp. 7–261 articles; pp. 263–366 bib 04

35 (2006): ISAS 05 Munich; pp. 7–284 articles, with abstracts; pp. 285–398 bib 05; no index

36 (2007): pp. 1–234 articles; pp. 235–330 bib 06

37 (2008): ISAS 07 London; pp. 7–181 articles; pp. 183–232 ODNB; pp. 233–366 bib 07

38 (2010 [for 2009]), printed on coated paper: pp. 1–223 articles; pp. 225–348 bib 08

39 (2011/12 [for 2010]): ISAS 09 Newfoundland; pp. 1–226 articles; pp. 227–360 bib 09

40 (2012 [for 2011]): pp. 1–306 articles; pp. 307–406 bib 10; no index

41   (2013 [for 2012]): ISAS 11 Madison; pp. 1–416 articles; no bibliography

ed. Keynes & Love

42   (2013): pp. 1–329 articles; no bibliography

ed. Keynes, Love & Orchard

43   (2014): ISAS 2013 Dublin; pp. 1–377 articles; no bibliography

44 (2015):

45 (2016): ISAS 2015 Glasgow; <K. Æthelred, d. 1016; acc. of Cnut>

46 (2017):

47 (2018): ISAS 2017 Hawaii;

48 (2019):

49 (2020): ISAS 2019 Place;

50 (2021):

51 (2022): ISAS 2021 Place;

52 (2023): <Abp Wulfstan, d. 1023>

Indexes for vols. 1–30, but not thereafter Bibliographies in vols. 1–40, but not thereafter

Formal records for meetings of ISAS, since their inception in 1983 Abstract printed at the head of each article, from vol. 35 (2006)

Extent of bibliography in pages: 23 (1971); 30 (1972); 37 (1973); 39 (1974); 35 (1975); 49

(1976); 36 (1977); 41 (1978); 37 (1979); 39 (1980); 60 (1981); 52 (1982); 52 (1983); 49

(1984); 48 (1985); 46 (1986); 52 (1987); 47 (1988); 41 (1989); 48 (1990); 50 (1991); 44

(1992); 42 (1993); 49 (1994); 49 (1995); 50 (1996); 49 (1997); 71 (1998); 61 (1999); 67

(2000); 93 (2001); 99 (2002); 110 (2003); 103 (2004); 113 (2005); 95 (2006); 133 (2007);

123 (2008); 133 (2009); 100 (2010).

Updating of standard works of reference:

Okasha, Handlist of Anglo-Saxon Non-Runic Inscriptions: vols. 11, 21, 33 Ker, Catalogue of MSS Containing Anglo-Saxon: vol. 5

Gneuss, Handlist of Anglo-Saxon Manuscripts: vols. 32, 40

Bibliographical reference:

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: vol. 37

Review articles, in vols. 1–18, under Peter Clemoes (except vols. 13, 15–17)

•  Addyman, Anglo-Saxon house (1)

•  allegorical approaches to Beowulf (2)

•  Brooks, Anglo-Saxon charters (3)

•  Fellows Jensen, Vikings in England (4)

•  Gatch, OE prose (5)

•  Biddle et al., Sutton Hoo (6)

•  Brownrigg, Anglo-Saxon decorated manuscripts (7)

•  Hills, archaeology of the pagan period (8)

•  Fowler, farming (9)

•  Calder, histories of OE literature (10)

•  Kelly, Beowulf scholarship, pt I (11)

•  Kelly, Beowulf scholarship, pt II (12)

•  Biddle et al., Taylor & Taylor, Anglo-Saxon architecture (14)

•  Hall, Five Boroughs (00)