Ōsweald is here!

The wait is over! Ōsweald Bera, the first graded reader for Old English, is finally available for purchase!

If you want to be one of the first people to get your hands on a copy, head on over to oswealdbera.com to buy a beautiful print edition.

I’m so happy to be able to share this book with you – it’s truly been a labour of love, and a wonderful collaboration with my colleagues at the Ancient Language Institute, the people at Vergil Press, Alex Swanson, who did the amazing illustrations, and Beck & Stone, who made the cover come to life.

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If this is the first you’re hearing about Ōsweald Bera, it’s two things in one: a language textbook that teaches you Old English and a story about a very curious bear and his friends and adventures in medieval England. I like to think of it as the Old English novel that never was.

The story is written entirely in Old English, starting very simply at first and gradually increasing in the complexity of its grammatical structures and the breadth of vocabulary until, by the end, you can move smoothly into authentic Old English prose texts, such as the works of King Alfred or the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.

Ōsweald Bera is suitable for complete beginners of the language but is also (I hope) a charming addition to the collection of more experienced students of Old English.

Here’s what some kind people are saying about it:

The story you hold in your hands is the first of its kind: Ōsweald Bera teaches you to be a fluent reader of Old English. With it, Colin Gorrie demonstrates that the most important key to success in acquiring a language — modern, mediaeval, or ancient — is in telling an entertaining story. Gorrie transports us to the mild forests of Middle Ages England and into the life of a docile but powerful bear, whose ambition to learn about the human world will carry him across the whole island. The friends (and enemies!) he makes along the way are the stuff of instant legend. For those who have profited by this magnificent book, Ōsweald has entered and ever shall remain in our hearts, and with him a strong grasp of the Old English language.

-Luke Ranieri, host of YouTube’s ScorpioMartianus and Polymathy

Ōsweald is a wonderful blend of good, sensible language instruction and genuine literary pleasure. There is a real need in teaching Old English for a graded reader, beginning very simply, and progressing to a full-fledged literary prose style, and it is a wonderful stroke of luck that this need has been met in a tale that is as engaging and even moving as this one. I hope that students enjoy the adventures of Ōsweald, Æþelstān, and Cūþberht as much as I did. If they do, they should absorb a very great deal of Old English along the way, in a pleasant and painless fashion.

– Dr. Nelson Goering, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Linguistics and Scandinavian Studies, University of Oslo

Ōsweald Bera is an exceptional resource for all learners of Old English. It has greatly accelerated language comprehension in class – students are able to rapidly internalise grammar and vocabulary in an intuitive and enjoyable way.

– Dr. Daniel Orton, Junior Fellow of Medieval Languages and Literature, New Saint Andrews College

More immersive and engaging than any traditional Old English textbook could ever be - it would be a good read even if it were just a normal storybook! 

-Simon Roper

Although this is the end of Ōsweald’s long journey to publication, it’s only the start of our adventures with the book. We’re planning a grammar companion, as well as a full-cast recording audiobook (with some all-star voice actors from the Old English world) slated for release next year.

I’ll also have more behind-the-scenes content coming on this Substack, if you’d like to learn what goes into creating a modern graded reader, as well as some helpful Old English and Ōsweald- related videos coming soon on my YouTube channel.

Before I sign off from this newsletter, I would like to thank you, dear reader! It’s been a pleasure over these past few years to share my love of language with you – and it’s been an honour that you’ve shared your love of language with me. With this book, I hope we can share it with a few more people as well.

If you have any questions about the book, please leave a comment, and I’ll answer them as soon as I can!