Aelfric of Eynsham
Ælfric’s Grammar is the earliest surviving textbook written in English. As noted by Melinda J. Menzer, it was also one of the most popular books in 11th- and 12th-century England. This is based on the number of surviving copies in fourteen different manuscripts. Quite surprisingly, in the preface to Grammar Ælfric explains to his students that the book is intended to teach both Latin and English. This, however, has become a dispute among scholars, who generally agree that the text does not, in fact, teach any English. The idea of studying vernacular (the local language) instead of Latin was unusual for Ælfric’s time.