Reproduction of the original: Strange Survivals by S. Baring-Gould

Though medieval "saints' lives" are among the oldest literary texts of Western vernacular culture, they are routinely patronized as "pious fiction" by modern historiography. This book demonstrates that to characterize the genre as fiction is to misunderstand the intentions of medieval authors, who were neither credulous fools nor men blinded by piety. Concentrating on English texts, Heffernan reconstructs the medieval perspective and considers sacred biography in relation to the community for which it was written; identifies the genre's rhetorical practices and purposes; and demonstrates the syncretistic way in which the life of the medieval saint was transformed from oral tales to sacred text. In the process, Heffernan not only achieves a more contextually accurate understanding of the medieval saints' lives, but details a new critical method that has important implications for the practice of textual criticism.

Scotland's first full-scale printed book is the Aberdeen Breviary, published in Edinburgh in 1510. It contains the only major collection of legends of Scottish saints. Many of the saints are of Irish origin, but the book also includes English, Welsh, Pictish, and Scandinavian saints. The Breviary of Aberdeen has not been edited for 150 years. The existing facsimile edition is rare and in places untrustworthy; it is very difficult to use, without index, translation, notes, or commentary. This edition is intended to make the material more accessible to scholars, local historians, and general readers for future research. It is a reliable edition of a fascinating collection of legends of early saints, describing the development of their cult and also their heroic struggles, self-denial, and amazing miracles, in a scholarly book with detailed introduction, text, translation, and more.