The first in a two-volume set, this anthology brings together poetry, prose, and drama from the literary history of Great Britain, focusing on the Middle Ages through the Restoration and the eighteenth century, from Beowulf to Samuel Johnson. Damrosch (comparative literature, Harvard U.) and Dettmar (English, Pomona College) group readings chronologically and according to issues and themes like women and gender, related cultural debates, or texts in which later authors respond to their precursors. Also included are writings providing social context, color plates showing images that influenced literary creation, introductions containing historical context, and notes for each text. Major and lesser known authors like Sir Thomas Wyatt are included. This edition has new thumbnail sketches of daily life during each period, new texts by William Baldwin, Edmund Spenser, Shakespeare, John Donne, John Skelton, and others, the Irish epic The Táin Bó Cuailnge, new translations and groupings, and new response pairings. Annotation ©2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)