Beowulf The Warrior [Hardcover]

IAN SERRAILLIER (Author), Severin (Illustrator)

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Oxford University Press; First Edition edition (1954)
• ASIN: B000WGFK2U
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

More About the Author

Ian Serraillier (September 24, 1912 - November 28, 1994), was a British novelist and poet. Serraillier was best known for his children's books, especially the Silver Sword (Novel) (1956), a wartime adventure story which was adapted for television by the BBC in 1957 and again in 1971.

Born in London, Serraillier was educated at Brighton College, and took his degree at St Edmund Hall, Oxford. He became an English teacher, first at World War II. It was during this period that his first published work appeared, in the form of poetry for both adults and children. In 1946 his first children's novel was published. It was followed by several more adventure stories of treasure and spies. His best known work, The Silver Sword, was published in 1956 and has become a classic, bringing to life the story of four refugee children and their search for their parents in the chaos of Europe immediately after World War II.

As well as children's novels and poetry, Serrailler produced his own retellings of classic tales, in prose and verse, including Beowulf, Chaucer and Greek myth. Together with his wife Anne he founded the New Windmill Series in 1948, published by Heinemann Educational Books, which set out to provide inexpensive editions of good stories. He continued as co-editor of the series until the onset of Alzheimer's disease.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant edition for young readers, May 7, 2007

By 

Florentius (New Jersey, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Beowulf the Warrior (Living History Library) (Paperback)

This handy edition of Beowulf has the virtue of being easily approachable by an average reader, whereas some of the other translations I've seen have almost been like reading the original Anglo-Saxon itself. The translation reads easily yet retains the flavor and rhythms of the ancient epic.

Though it's still a little advanced for my kids (under age 6), it will definitely be bedtime fare in the not-too-distant future. For those unfamiliar with the story, it tells the tale of Beowulf and his battles against awful Grendel, the hideous mother of Grendel, and the terrible fire-breathing dragon. This edition includes a number of illustrations which will certainly help draw younger readers into the story.

If you enjoyed Beowulf and want to know more about the Anglo-Saxon language, you might try A Book For The Beginner In Anglo-saxon: Comprising A Short Grammar and Some Selections from the Gospels. If you just like epic poems, there's also The Laviniad: An Epic Poem which is an epic in the Trojan War cycle written by a modern author and the classic The Ballad of the White Horse by G. K. Chesterton.

18 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very entertaining bedtime story., January 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Beowulf the Warrior (Living History Library) (Paperback)

My children (6 and 7 years old) thoroughly enjoyed listening to how the mighty and brave Beowulf defeated the evil Grendel and his Mother. The book is written very well and lends itself to a great deal of imagery. I was very glad this classic could be written in a manner that small children could understand and enjoy this great story.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding!, October 27, 2010

By 

HannaLee "homeschooling mom of 8" (CA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beowulf the Warrior (Living History Library) (Paperback)

I was lucky enough to find a hardcover, library-bound, 1961 version of this book at a booksale, so my review is for the story itself, rather than the book being sold. This retelling of the story is easily read aloud and brings with it the beauty of the original language of the poem. Other children's versions tell the story, but in a way that loses much of the magic, in my opinion. The illustrations are gorgeous! Some may be scary to young listeners, though. Do take advantage of the "Look Inside" feature to preview some of them. I am happy to see this classic reprinted and available to purchase.