Reading list

The following list is by no means comprehensive but does list interesting and useful books related to the Early Medieval period.

Some of the best introductions to the period can be found in the following children's books:

• The Vicious Vikings - T Dreary. Part of the Horrible Histories Range
• The Smashing Saxons - T Dreary. Also part of the Horrible Histories Range
• Top 10 Viking Legends - M Cox
• Viking - Susan Margeson. Dorling Kindersley Eyewitness Range
• Myths of the Norsemen - Roger Lancelyn Green. Penguin

For more adult books any of the English Heritage books by Batsford that cover the period are good. Examples of these are:

• Viking Age York - Richard Hall. ISBN 0713470143
• Anglo-Saxon England - Martin Welch. ISBN 0713465662

Another widely read and referred to author about the period is James Graham-Campbell (sometimes just James Campbell). A good example of his is:

• Cultural Atlas Of The Viking World - editor. ISBN 0816030049

Other good books are:

• The Vikings - Else Roesdahl. Penguin (this is a nice cheap paperback and a good introduction to everything)
• Vikings The Battle At The End Of Time - Tony Allan. ISBN 1903296560 (the current coffee table book)
• The Oxford Illustrated History Of The Vikings - Peter Sawyer. ISBN 0198205260
• The Viking Art Of War - Paddy Griffith. ISBN 1853673374
• Vikings The North Atlantic Saga - Smithsonian Institution Press. ISBN 1560989955

A rich source of literature from the period comes in the form of epic poems. The Anglo-Saxon epic poems are well covered in:

• The Anglo-Saxon World - Kevin Crossley-Holland. ISBN 0851158854
• Beowulf - There are a large number of translations of this but those by Seamus Heaney (ISBN 0571203760) and Julian Glover, Sheila Mackie and Magnus Magnusson (ISBN 0750911042) are very readable.

The most complete contemporary records for the UK in this period are to be found in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles. There are many modern versions of these ranging from the incomprehensible (Everyman) to some that are quite good (e.g. Michael Swanton/Phoenix Press ISBN 1842120034 and Anne Savage ISBN 1858334780). The best thing is to have a look and see which you like.

If any of these books are now out of print and you wish to purchase it is worth looking at www.abebooks.com.