Alexander, Michael. "Introduction," in "Beowulf: A Verse Translation, Penguin Books, 1973.

Alexander offers a detailed introduction to the poem, discussiong the history of the manuscript, the epic tradition, and the characters and plot of the poem.

Alexander, Michael "Epic," in A Dictionary of Modern Critical Terms, edited by Roger Fowler, Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1987, pp. 73-75.

Alexander provides a short, clear introduction to the western epic with brief, well-integrated extracts from important critical texts

Backhouse, Janet, D. H Turner, and Webster, Leslie. The Golden Age of Anglo-Saxon Art: 966-1066, British Museum, 1984

Provides marvelous illustrations of Anglo-Saxon art, fine and applied, covering the period in which the Beowulf manuscript was written

Basset, Steven, ed The Origins of Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms, Leicester University Press, 1989.

Provides a discussion of the political and social circumstances which may be reflected in Beowulf

Benson, L D. "The Originality of Beowulf," in The...