A new, materialistic reading of the Alfredian corpus, drawing on diverse approaches from thing theory to Augustinian principles of use and enjoyment to uncover how these works explore the material world.

Introduction: Use and enjoyment in Old English literature
1. Books and ladders: The speaking prefaces
2. The stream of wealth: The Old English Pastoral Care
3. True riches: The Old English Boethius
4. The familiar and the strange: The Old English Soliloquies
5. Treasure in heaven: The Prose Psalms
Conclusion: Transformations in prose and poetry
Bibliography
Index