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Alfred the Great: Asser's Life of King Alfred & Other Contemporary Sources (Penguin Classics) Paperback – January 3, 1984

by Anonymous (Author), Simon Keynes (Translator), Michael Lapidge (Translator)
4.5 out of 5 stars 13 customer reviews
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Product Details

  • Series: Penguin Classics
  • Paperback: 368 pages
  • Publisher: Penguin Classics; Reprint edition (January 3, 1984)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0140444092
  • ISBN-13: 978-0140444094
  • Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 0.8 x 7.7 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #199,753 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

81 of 83 people found the following review helpful
Alfred for High School Students
By A Customer on July 4, 2001
Format: Paperback
The author of this book (Asser) was a contemporary of King Alfred's and was brought to Wessex (Alfred's kingdom) in the ninth century as part of Alfred's plan to improve education and culture in Anglo-Saxon England. The text is highly readable and gives students an eyewitness account of Alfred's kingship: military successes and failures (esp. fighting the Vikings), advancement of English culture and education, consolidation of the seven kingdoms, and cultivation of Christian kingship in the Early Middle Ages. This kind of book is especially fun for students to read as it shows us "real history," including things such as Alfred's 20-year fight with some sort of intestinal disorder. We see Alfred as a man, not just an aloof, wooden figure that died long ago. This edition also includes maps, geneological charts of the Carolingian (i.e., "French") kings and the English kings up to Alfred, and a 29-page introduction by Simon Keynes and Michael Lapidge, which provides excellent background on the period in which Alfred and Asser lived. Also included are excerpts from the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, which was begun in Alfred's reign, extracts of Alfred's own writings and translations, and miscellaneous primary sources such as letters, books, and documents of the era. These items make good backgrounding for teachers. When this biography is read together with the Arthurian legend, it helps students to compare the real and the ideal kings of the Middle Ages.
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23 of 23 people found the following review helpful
Alfred the Great
By E. A. Kinzel on August 28, 2009
Format: Paperback
I am very fond of Penguin Classics, which combine a primary text with a thorough scholarly background. Sometimes I read part of the supplementary material, or none at all, or I read parts of it at my leisure later. In the case of this book, I read it in its entirety, from cover to cover.

Alfred was an extraordinary character. He had lifelong health problems of an unknown nature, yet was a proven and tenacious warrior. He reorganized his country's system of defense, and even designed a new type of ship to combat the Vikings (the details of which are tantalizingly unknown to us), yet he was also deeply interested in religious and literary matters, and fostered a renewal of learning and literacy in his kingdom.

When he took the throne, in 871, he was 23 years old, and the internal and international situation was deeply troublesome. Most of the petty Saxon and Angle kingdoms had "made peace" with the Vikings, a euphemistic term for paying them protection money in exchange for being left unmolested by the Viking armies. At the time of Alfred's ascension to the throne, in fact, a Viking army was more or less living year-round in Wessex. After a period of battling for survival, Alfred patiently gathered his strength for several years, finally uniting under his rule all English territories outside of the Viking Danelaw.

This book has more than 40 pages of introductory material, dealing with the historical background of Alfred's reign, including a portrait of his biographer Asser, as well as the numerous maps and genealogical tables one has come to expect from Penguin. The volume also includes extracts from the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle which are relevant to King Alfred, as well as from various charters, wills, and laws promulgated by him.Read more ›
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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Nicely done sourcebook about Alfred the Great
By Christopher R. Travers on July 18, 2009
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
Alfred the Great is most popularly known as the king who burned the cakes. However, he was also the king who saved England from being entirely overrun by the Vikings, and he laid the groundwork for his daughter's campaigns which conquered the Viking settlements and territory in England. This book provides a great deal of insight on his life and accomplishments.

This book contains an extensive introduction which is substantially longer than any of the sources provided in the book, as well as the key contemporary sources regarding the life of Alfred the Great. These sources include the biography written of him by Bishop Asser, the relevant portions of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, translation of key religious works translated into Old English by Alfred the Great himself, and finally various legal documents authored by him.

The book also includes an appendix which examines the authenticity of the cake-burning story among other things, and extensive end-notes that make up approximately half of the volume.

All in all, this is a well put together sourcebook regarding the life of what was arguably England's greatest king. Highly recommended.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Just starting my quest to learn more about early English (British) history.
By John E. Horisk on January 3, 2014
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
I am not a historian.
Seemed like a good read that offers a contemporaneous look into the man about whom this period likely revolves. I will come to know more as I read more (reading Bede's "Ecclesiastic History of the English People" now). Although there are may acknowledged limitations in both this and Bede, it is a beginning and worth the effort and cost to me.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
For History Buffs!
By John R. Buffum on September 1, 2014
Format: Paperback
Written by Bishop Asser, who was with Ælfred through his difficult years. This is a period of English history not well documented.

Egad! How I wish we could have a President of the quality of Ælfred!

Once you have read this, check out Richard Cornwell's Saxon Chronicles.

Good stuff for those exploring their Anglo/Saxon/Danish roots.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

Excellent book, translation could flow a little better at ...

Excellent book, translation could flow a little better at times, but otherwise it is quite readable. Read more

Published 6 months ago by Anthony
great primary source

Fascinating! great primary source.

Published 8 months ago by Amazon Customer
Three Stars

it was for class requirement

Published 9 months ago by Crystal Martinez
great stuff I love history primary documents If you're interested ...

great stuff I love history primary documents If you're interested in the English language, culture, history and so on, read this

Published 13 months ago by Ms. B
For a class in Early Middle Ages: the Anglo-Saxons

This book is a "primary source" that is essential reading for a study of the Anglo-Saxons. He was such a pivotal figure in the formation of England as we know it today.

Published 19 months ago by Pictomaniac
Marvelous history about a wonderful, wonderful man

A great consolidation of all the information available about Alfred the Great. He was THE Renaissance Man before the Renaissance. Read more

Published 21 months ago by Granny Zebra
A great historical example of historical fiction?

I am no scholar of Anglo Saxon history, but I do like to read historical fiction and have a lay man's interest in the "facts" behind the fiction. Read more

Published on December 7, 2013 by W Greenhalf
Dry.

I borrowed this from the local library. After tracing my family tree back to this time period, i've been eager to learn as much as possible, but i found this book rather dry. Read more

Published on March 23, 2011 by Christine

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