JEROLD C. FRAKES is Professor of German and Comparative Literature and part of the Associate Faculty in Classics at the University of Southern California, USA. He has authored three books: The Fate of Fortune in the Early Middle Ages: The Boethian Tradition, The Politics of Interpretation: Alterity and Ideology in Old Yiddish Studies, and most recently, Brides and Doom: Gender, Property and Power in Medieval German Women's Epic. He is the editor of the anthology Early Yiddish Texts, 1100-1750.

• Preface Christian Humanism and the Jews Humanism and Yiddish Humanist Scholarship and the Study of Yiddish Texts/Translations Johannes Böschenstein, Elementale Introductorium in hebreas litteras teutonice et hebraice legendas / Elementary Introduction to Reading German and Hebrew in Hebrew Letters (1514) Sebastian Münster, 'Intitutio breuis, quomodo uernacula quæque lingua Hebraicis characteribus cribi poit'/ A Brief Introduction to How the Vernacular Language can be Written in Hebrew Characters Institutiones grammaticae in hebraeam linguam / Grammatical Principles of the Hebrew Language (1524) Anonymous, 'Here Follows How One Can Learn to Read Yiddish'/ The Book of Measures (1542) Paulus Fagius, 'De variis literarvm figuris sev notvlis' / 'On Various Forms and Pointings of Letters,' from Compendiaria isagoge in linguam hebræam / A Brief Introduction to the Hebrew Language (1543) Paulus Fagius, 'Svccincta ratio legendi hebræo-germanica' / 'A Concise Method for Reading Hebrew-German,' from Prima qvatvor capita Geneseos / The First Four Chapters of Genesis (1543) Paul Helicz, Elemental / oder lesebüchlen / Primer, or Reader (Hundesfeld 1543) Michael Adam, 'How to Read and Write Yiddish,' / Yosifo (1546) Elias Schadäus, 'Ein gewisser Bericht von der Teutsch Hebreischen Schrifft deren ich die Juden gebrauchen' / 'A Reliable/Certain Report on the Germano-Hebrew Script,' from Mysterium (1592) Thomas Blebelius, 'Isagoge brevissima exhibens rationem legendi et scribendi Hebræo-germanicum' / 'Very Brief Introduction Expounding the Principles of Reading and Writing Hebrew-German', from Compendium Hebrææ Lingvæ / Precis of the Hebrew Language (1594) Johannes Meelführer, 'De Scriptura Judæorum' / 'On the Script of the Jews,' from Grammaticæ Hebrææ compendiosa institutio / Brief Principles of Hebrew Grammar (1607) Johann Buxtorf, 'Lectionis Hebræo-Germanicæ Uus et exercitatio' / 'The Practice and Exercise of Reading Hebrew-German,' from Thesaurus GrammaticusLinguæ Sanctæ Hebrææ / Grammar of the Holy Hebrew Tongue (1609) Andreas Sennert, 'De scriptura ebræo-germanica' / 'On Hebrew-German Script,' from Rabbinismus hoc est praecepta Targumico-talmudico-rabbinica ..., in Ebraismus, Chaldaismus, Syriasmus, Arabismus ... / Rabbinism, that is, the Targumic-Talmudic-Rabbinical Principles (1666) August Pfeiffer, 'De lectione ebræo-germanica' / 'On Reading Hebrew-German', from Critica Sacra / Biblical Textual Criticism (1680) C[aspar] Kümmet, 'De Lectione Hebræo-Germanica'' / 'On Reading Hebrew-German,' from Schola Hebraica / Hebrew School (1688) Henricus [Heinrich] Ammersbach, 'Anweiung / Wie man die Rabbinichen Teutchen Bücher und Brieffe ... leen und vertehen oll' / 'Instruction in How to Read and Understand ... Rabbinical Books and Letters', from Neues ABC Buch / New ABC Book (1689) Johann Christof Wagenseil, 'Bericht wie das Jüdisch-Teutsche zu lesen' / 'Report on How to Read Jewish-German,' from Belehrung der Jüdisch-Teutschen Red- und Schreib-Art / Manual of the Jewish-German Manner of Speaking and Writing (1699) Franz [Franciscus] Haselbauer, 'Appendix de idiotismo germanico judæorum'/ 'Appendix on the Germanic Vernacular of the Jews,' from Fundamenta grammatica / Grammatica Foundation (1742) Bibliography