Elizabeth Elstob — scholar and translator
- Creator(s):
- Aelfric of Eynsham
- Title:
- An English-Saxon homily on the birth-day of St. Gregory: anciently used in the English-Saxon church: giving an account of the conversion of the English from paganism to Christianity translated into modern English, with notes, etc., by Eliz. Elstob
- Publication/Origin:
- London: Printed by W. Bowyer, 1709
- Description:
- Elizabeth Elstob, scholar of Anglo-Saxon antiquities, was an advocate for women’s education. In the introduction to this work she asks, “Where is the fault of women’s seeking after learning?” She dedicates her book to illustrious women: Queens Anne and Bertha, and Helena, the mother of Constantine. Involved in the production of her books, Elstob commissioned engravings from Simon Gribelin, including her own portrait within an initial on the first page of text. Elstob’s translations into modern English rather than Latin were part of a broader effort to open the study of antiquity to a wider audience. Her Rudiments of Grammar for the English-Saxon Tongue was the first grammar of English and Saxon. It is also in the collection.
- Citation:
- Aelfric of Eynsham, An English-Saxon homily on the birth-day of St. Gregory: anciently used in the English-Saxon church: giving an account of the conversion of the English from paganism to Christianity translated into modern English, with notes, etc., by Eliz. Elstob, London: Printed by W. Bowyer, 1709, Lisa Unger Baskin Collection, Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University. Accessed April 24, 2024, https://exhibits.library.duke.edu/exhibits/show/baskin/item/4019