Customer Reviews

William the Conqueror (World Landmark Book W-41)

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

William the Conqueror (1959) is part of Random House's World Landmark Books series. These books are written in a straight-forward style. Some of the authors were also famous for books written for adults. All the books are under two hundred pages with fairly large print, making for a quick read. Thomas Costain, the author, was chief editor at the Saturday Evening Post in the 20s and 30s. He was most famous for The Silver Chalice (1952), a historical novel written for adults about the early Christians in Rome.

William is the illegitimate son of the Duke of Normandy, Robert the Devil. When the duke dies during a trip to Jerusalem, William succeeds the throne at only 15 years of age. During his long reign, he fights rebellions, keeps his barons in check, and even takes the throne of England in 1066.

Here is an interesting tidbit about William the Conqueror that I learned from this book. After William became King of England, the rebellions against him were quickly crushed. However, Hereward the Wake, the most troublesome of the rebels, held out on Ely Island for five years, turning Hereward into a Saxon folk hero.

This book may not be the very best book of the Landmark series, but Costain writes a detailed history of the Famous Conqueror and gives it life! I hope that everyone who reads this book enjoys it as much as I did. Here is an example of good historical non-fiction for 5th - 8th graders.