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The Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Anglo-Saxon England

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"The Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Anglo-Saxon England", edited by Lapidge, Blair, Keynes and Scragg, is a collection of 700 articles by 150 different scholars, covering almost every conceivable aspect of political and social life between the Roman departure from Britain and the Norman Conquest.

The articles cover subjects in political, social, economic and ecclesiastical history, linguistics, literature, archaeology, historiography, and even science (for example the article on Astronomy). The material is not heavy-going either: each piece is concisely written, covering on average less than half a page (although some extend to as much as two), which is long enough to provide an introduction to a topic without being overloaded with detail. In addition, every topic is followed by its own mini-bibliography, which opens up possibilities for further research - although this may be more of use for students than the lay reader, since many of the references point to academic journals rather than general texts.

Context is provided by a comprehensive and highly useful list of the rulers of the English kingdoms, as well as four pages of maps demonstrating the changes in England's political landscape over these centuries. The Encyclopaedia is organised in alphabetical format, making navigation easy, and all the articles are extensively cross-referenced. A further useful feature is the index, which classifies all 700 pieces by subject, so that it is possible at a glance to find all articles on, for example, art and architecture, or language, or kings and queens.

All in all, the "The Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Anglo-Saxon England" is a tremendous resource. For students it will prove an excellent first port of call when engaging with the academic literature, as I found out when studying at university. For the casual reader with an interest in the period, there is much that can be learnt simply by dipping into the material, although for someone approaching Anglo-Saxon history for the first time, it might be more worthwhile beginning with a conventional narrative account of the period - such as John Blair's "The Anglo-Saxon Age: A Very Short Introduction", or Frank Stenton's "Anglo-Saxon England".