Book excerpt: The Index of Middle English Proseis an international collaborative project which will ultimately locate, identify and record all extant Middle English prose texts composed between c.1200 and c.1500, in both manuscript and printed form in medieval and post-medieval versions. The first step towards this goal has been this series of Handlists, each recording the holdings of a major library or group of libraries. Compiled by scholars, Handlistsinclude detailed descriptions of each prose item with identifications, categorisations and full bibliographical data. Every Handlistwill also contain a series of indexes including listings of opening and closing lines, authors, titles, subject matter and rubrics. For students of the middle ages Handlistsprovide essential bibliographical tools and shed light on a wide range of subjects.