A review by deearr
Alfred the Great: Asser's Life of King Alfred and Other Contemporary Sources by Michael Lapidge, Alfred the Great, Asser, Simon Keynes
5.0
I’ve recently read a couple of fiction books (as well as binge-watched “The Last Kingdom” on Netflix), so I reasoned it was time to find out the actual story concerning the English king that people kept writing about. I am happy that my search caused me to find this book.
The subtitle “Asser’s Life of King Alfred and other contemporary sources” is a great description of this book. Along with Asser’s biography of King Alfred (and an incredibly extensive amount of footnotes) there are also translations of religious and philosophical books. All of them – for different reasons – serve to add another layer of information about King Alfred, and the author shares a wealth of knowledge with the readers.
While interesting, it is not what I would call a historical page-turner. Don’t count on reading this in one or two sittings. Do count on an interesting picture of a historical figure who lived over 1000 years ago (written history by a contemporary from that long ago was enough to convince me to read the book). Very professional presentation. Five stars.
The subtitle “Asser’s Life of King Alfred and other contemporary sources” is a great description of this book. Along with Asser’s biography of King Alfred (and an incredibly extensive amount of footnotes) there are also translations of religious and philosophical books. All of them – for different reasons – serve to add another layer of information about King Alfred, and the author shares a wealth of knowledge with the readers.
While interesting, it is not what I would call a historical page-turner. Don’t count on reading this in one or two sittings. Do count on an interesting picture of a historical figure who lived over 1000 years ago (written history by a contemporary from that long ago was enough to convince me to read the book). Very professional presentation. Five stars.