Michael P. Barnes, 2019, ISBN 978 0 903521 97 0
359 pp.
Published with Institutionen för nordiska språk vid Uppsala universitetet (Runrön 22).
This book provides a modern, scholarly edition of the runic inscriptions, Scandinavian and Anglo-Saxon, discovered in the Isle of Man. All are carved into stone and most are commemorative in nature. A broad view has been taken of the Manx runic material. Weight is given to runological and linguistic questions, in particular graph-types and their implications, orthography, the origin and linguistic background of the rune carvers, and language contact and its possible consequences. But attention is also directed at matters such as dating and the implications of what the inscriptions say for our understanding of Manx society at the time they were made. Archaeology and art history are brought into the discussion insofar as these fields of study cast light on the inscriptions and their context. Emphasis is further placed on the nature of the discovery of the rune-stones, their subsequent history and their treatment by earlier scholars.
The work is copiously illustrated. It contains recent photographs of all the stones and their runes, computerised drawings of each inscription, and significant early depictions of parts of the material.
The front cover shows the runic cross MM 106 Ballaugh. The inscription is placed on one of the broad faces of the stone, as on many of the Manx crosses, running up the left side of the shaft and continuing into the circled head.
Price (Members): £10.00
Price (Non-Members): £20.00
Where available, this publication can be purchased or downloaded via the following links:
