With such concentration on the Tudors onwards, the English risk losing sight of their nation’s roots. Ice to Athelstan fills that gap by presenting the story of the country’s origins in a succinct and accessible way.In twelve short chapters the book covers some 10,000 years from the time of the last Ice Age, when Britain was a frozen desert, until the short reign of the first king of England. It tells the story of who came, when, from where, why, and what effect they had, ...

If money is the lifeblood of business, contracts are the arteries that help carry it around the commercial body. Anyone in business is liable to have to deal with business contracts, but few are trained to do so. Even those that are trained may have experience in limited areas or in the distant past. But the right contract can make a vital difference, not just to recording and enforcing, if need be, the contract terms, but also in ensuring the agreement deals with the real issues and appro...

A witty and concise look at the beginnings of English history, when the nation consolidated after clashes between the Saxons and invading Vikings.In 871, three of England's four kingdoms were overrun by Vikings, the ruthless, all-conquering Scandinavian raiders who terrorized early medieval Europe. With the Norsemen murdering one king with arrows and torturing another to death by ripping out his lungs, the prospects that faced the kingdom of Wessex were bleak. Wors...

Updated with the latest archaeological research new chapters on the most influential yet widely unrecognised people of the British isles, In Search of the Dark Ages illuminates the fascinating and mysterious centuries between the Romans and the Norman Conquest of 1066.In this new edition, Michael Wood vividly conjures some of the most important people in British history such as Hadrian, a Libyan refugee from the Arab conquests and arguably the most importa...

A sweeping and original history of the Anglo-Saxons by national bestselling author Marc Morris.Sixteen hundred years ago Britain left the Roman Empire and swiftly fell into ruin. Grand cities and luxurious villas were deserted and left to crumble, and civil society collapsed into chaos. Into this violent and unstable world came foreign invaders from across the sea, and established themselves as its new masters.The Anglo-Saxons traces the turbulent ...

Dive into Northern Britain's Dark Ages in "a book which gives a satisfying and convincing account of this little-known part of Scotland's history" ( Undiscovered Scotland).Modern communications have driven motorways and pylons through the countryside, dwarfed us with TV and telephone masts, and drastically altered the way in which we move around, see, and understand Scotland. Recent politics and logistics have established borders and jurisdictions which no...

The bestselling author of The King in the North turns his attention to the obscure era of British history known as 'the age of Arthur'.'Not just a valuable book, but a distinctive one as well' Tom Holland, Sunday Times'An accessible and illuminating book' Gerard de Groot, The Times'A fascinating picture of Britain's new-found independence' This EnglandSome...

The formation of England occurred against the odds: an island divided into rival kingdoms, under savage assault from Viking hordes. But, after King Alfred ensured the survival of Wessex and his son Edward expanded it, his grandson Athelstan inherited the rule of both Mercia and Wessex, conquered Northumbria and was hailed as Rex totius Britanniae: 'King of the whole of Britain'.Tom Holland recounts this extraordinary story with relish and drama, transporting us ba...

The Vikings famously took no prisoners, relished cruel retribution, and prided themselves on their blood-thirsty skills as warriors. But their prowess in battle is only a small part of their story, which stretches from their Scandinavian origins to America in the west and as far as Baghdad in the east.As the Vikings did not write their history, we have to discover it for ourselves, and that discovery, as Neil Oliver reveals, tells an extraordinary story of a people who, from the br...

An "intelligent and infectiously enthusiastic" biography of the Celtic queen and an analysis of her impact on British and feminist history ( The Sunday Times).Boudica has been mythologized as the woman who dared to take on the Romans to avenge her daughters, her tribe, and her enslaved country. Her immortality rests on the fact that she almost drove the Romans out of Britain, and her legend has become the reference point for any British woman in power, fro...

'A triumph – a Game of Thrones in the Dark Ages' TOM HOLLAND.The magisterial biography of Oswald Whiteblade, exiled prince of Northumbria, who returned in blood and glory to reclaim his birthright.A charismatic leader, a warrior whose prowess in battle earned him the epithet Whiteblade, an exiled prince who returned to claim his birthright, the inspiration for Tolkein's Aragorn.Oswald of Northumbria was the first great English monarch, yet t...

The story of the daughter of Alfred the Great, who fought against Viking invaders and ruled a kingdom in the tenth century.Alfred the Great's daughter defied all expectations of a well-bred Saxon princess. The first Saxon woman ever to rule a kingdom, Aethelflaed, Lady of the Mercians, led her army in battle against Viking invaders. She further broke with convention by arranging for her daughter to succeed her on the throne of Mercia.To protect her people a...