The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles [Hardcover]

Anne Savage (Translator)

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: St Martin's Press; First edition. edition (October 1983)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312037406
• ISBN-13: 978-0312037406
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,533,516 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars anglo-saxon chronicles: great choice, February 2, 2008

By 

john kennedy - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles (Hardcover)

There are few primary sources for early British history that can be accessed by the interested lay person. Such sources are often too obscure or fragmentary for the general reader to either discover or understand in context. Further, many of the texts are in archaic languages closed to all but the serious scholar. Fortunately, Anne Savage's beautifully illustrated and faithfully translated "Anglo Saxon Chronicles" is available to draw back the curtain on the mesmerizing journals kept by Christian monks on early British history. These journals are written in vernacular Old English and are wonderfully translated by Ms Savage. The text is accompanied by illustrations of buildings and artifacts dating to the period covered by the chronicles and by explanatory sections which provide historical background to the monk's journals. If you're interested in this period of history, Ms. Savage's work is a compelling introduction to an era for which few primary sources survive. Highly recommended.

5.0 out of 5 stars Much interest in this compilation, November 16, 2011

By 

Gderf - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles (Hardcover)

This appears to be a very well done translation and compilation. It's a good reference of the long period from Roman Britain to Henry II. It's especially informative on the not so familiar histories of the British kingdoms in the period before the Viking invasions. The author did a good job of retaining the original flavor while making easy reading for the modern reader. This can be enjoyed by the casual reader as well as the expert. Containing great detail the entries move fast to alleviate boredom about details that might not be of interest. For example there is great detail on prelates, major and minor, and I don't have very much interest in where each one is buried. I suppose that an expert would compare this to other translations, but it seems pretty good to me. Maybe someday I'll get the ambition to approach this work with a spread sheet to glean more detail, but so far a casual reading has been enough to get the flavor.

As a reference the king list for Wessex could stand to be augmented with those for Mercia, Northumberland and maybe more, although that information can be found elsewhere. I found the introductions to each section well written and helpful, but not quite detailed enough to provide an adequate guide to reading the "real" text.

I was somewhat taken aback by the entry that has an 1137 Norwich blood libel stated as fact. I'm ambivalent about whether that should be edited out. At least it merits some discussion in the editorial text. It serves as an admonition to take the rest with a grain of salt although that would apply to most non-trivial histories.