Ōsweald Bera
Ōsweald Bera by Colin Gorrieby Colin Gorrie
Ranked 2 of 4 language learning books by recommenders
Recommended as a story that teaches Old English quickly. Caveat: only sold in physical form, and only from the US.
Recommended as a story that teaches Old English quickly. Caveat: only sold in physical form, and only from the US.
5 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 4
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 80%
Recommended in 1 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 4 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 4 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 1 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Teaches Old English through a story
“a book which will teach you Old English by means of a story about a talking bear”
Comment from 21 Feb 2026 in “How far back in time can you understand English?” Fast way to learn Old English
“taught me how to read Old English remarkably quickly”
Comment from 22 Feb 2026 in “How far back in time can you understand English?” Got reader past 1300-era texts
“I could get over the 1300 hump and at least make general sense of everything past there because I have read about half of Ōsweald Bera”
Comment from 22 Feb 2026 in “How far back in time can you understand English?”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Only sold in physical form from US
“it only seems to be available in physical form and only from the US”
Comment from 22 Feb 2026 in “How far back in time can you understand English?”
Other language learning books people recommend
The three most recommended other language learning books, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lingua Latina per se Illustrataby Hans Ørberg | 10 | 1 | 91% | 3 | — | — |
| Ōsweald Beraby Colin GorrieThis page | 4 | 1 | 80% | 1 | — | — |
| Remembering the Kanjiby James Heisig | 3 | 1 | 75% | 2 | — | — |
| The Fables of Orbiliusby A.D. Godley | 3 | 0 | 100% | 2 | — | — |
What people said
All 5 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“I could get over the 1300 hump and at least make general sense of everything past there because I have read about half of Ōsweald Bera”
“it only seems to be available in physical form and only from the US”
“taught me how to read Old English remarkably quickly”
“This would have made it a lot more fun.”
“a book which will teach you Old English by means of a story about a talking bear”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.