This translation of the Registrum epistularum of Gregory the Great, the first complete version in English, and only the second in any modern language, will provide all medievalists access to one of the most important documentary collections to have survived from the period.

All fourteen books of the letters are presented in three volumes, each with a preface of its own but sharing the introduction found in the first volume. Books 1-4 appear in volume 1, Books 5-9 in the second volume, and Books 10-14 (and appendices) in the concluding volume, which also contains a glossary, bibliography, and indices.

The Introduction provides a brief biography of Gregory and discussions of the historical background, as well as detailed exposition of a range of topics, from Gregory's missions and his relationship with Augustine of Canterbury, to the pope's major correspondents and his use of Scripture. A section on the stylistic features of the letters shows the range of Gregory's literary and rhetorical art.