Did you know that…
Oxford holds two copies of the first ever German grammar book for English learners? Published in 1680, the High Dutch Minerva was written by Martin Aedler, a lecturer in Hebrew at the University of Cambridge. Born in the university town of Jena (Thuringia, Germany) in 1643, Aedler settled in England but remained passionately committed to the study of the German language. His grammar compiles grammar rules and idioms but also includes a great deal of linguistic commentary. It often compares German with English and other languages. The images below show some pages from the edition of 1680 that is held in the library of Jesus College, Oxford.
Click here for more information about the grammar.
