Medievalists specializing in various elements of Anglo-Saxon literature, language, culture, or religion were commissioned to prepare essays relating to the work, life, and times of the Abbot of Eynsham in the late 10th and early 11th centuries. Volumes in the series generally summarize the current state of research on the topic at hand, but here the essays break new ground, building on the current scholarship to offer new insights. Among the topics are the limits of Benedictine reform, Ælfric's lay patrons, his preaching and teaching during Lent, amplification and the portrayal of persecutors, his style and the politics of time, reconstructing the rationale behind compilations in the 11th and 12th centuries, and Ælfric's readers 1050-1350. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)