The World of Bede [Hardcover]

Peter Hunter Blair (Author), Michael Lapidge (Foreword)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0521391385 | ISBN-13: 978-0521391382 | Publication Date: October 26, 1990

The World of Bede is an engaging and accessible introduction to the writings and intellectual development of the venerable Bede (d. 735), first historian of the English and one of the greatest scholars of the Middle Ages. Originally published in 1970 and out of print for many years, the book remains a minor classic of historical writing, now made available again for the enjoyment of all those interested in the early medieval world. A new preface and supplementary bibliography by Michael Lapidge have brought the book up to date.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"In the foreword, Michael Lapidge, who supervised the reprinting, says, 'Hunter Blair's book stands up well to the passage of time: being concerned with Bede himself and not with the industry of Bede scholarship.' Anyone (such as this reviewer) who read this book twenty years ago and who has just returned to it will agree....This remains a fine book." Joseph F. Kelly, Church History

Book Description

Originally published in 1970 and out of print for many years, this reissue renders a minor classic of historical writing accessible again. Bede (d. 735) was the first English historian and one the greatest scholars of the Middle Ages.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 356 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (October 26, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521391385
• ISBN-13: 978-0521391382
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,616,979 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very enjoyable read about the remarkable Dark Age scholar., May 3, 2000

By 

Mark Howells (Puyallup, Washington State, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The World of Bede (Paperback)

This reprint of the 1970 classic provides a very accessible introduction into the intellectual background and writings of the venerable Bede. It is based on the written history of Bede and his times and mentions but does not rely on archealogical evidence to support its description of this early flowering of enlightenment in a dark time.

The text has held up well in the past 30 years and it provides great insight into the history of the English as Bede knew it, Bede's intellectual environment in which he wrote his works on various topics, and, of course, on the history of the church in England.

It reads as a tour guide book to the physical and mental territory in which Bede lived and wrote. Not too hagiographic - but it does assume at least a passing familiarity with Bede's more famous works.