Past into Present contains a wide range of British and American literary texts arranged in chronological order
from the Anglo-Saxon period to the present day. The texts have been chosen to show the rich diversity of
English literature from early verse like Battle of Maldon, to the Romantic poets, from the diaries of Pepys to the modern novel. Background and biographical information is integrated into the book to enable the reader to see each text in its historical context and there are useful glossaries to help students with the more complicated and archaic language. An extensive supplementary section is included with additional texts and material which can be used according to the needs and interests of students and teachers. The accompanying exercises are designed to further appreciation of the texts by showing how the different features of style and language work together to create the whole. The cassette tape contains readings of selected texts by professional actors. Students' enjoyment of the texts will be greatly enhanced by this opportunity to hear them read aloud