The Battle of Maldon - Text and Translation
Translated and edited by Bill Griffiths

The Battle of Maldon was fought between the men of Essex and the Vikings in AD 991. The action was captured in an Anglo-Saxon poem whose vividness and heroic spirit has fascinated readers and scholars for generations. The Battle of Maldon includes the source text; edited text; parallel literal translation; verse translation; notes on pronunciation; review of 103 books and articles. This new edition (the fourth) includes notes on Old English verse.

Edited Old English text with parallel literal modern English translation.

£5·95    96 pages

Dark Age Naval Power
A re-assessment of Frankish and Anglo-Saxon seafaring activity
John Haywood

In the first edition of this work, published in 1991, John Haywood argued that the capabilities of the pre-Viking Germanic seafarers had been greatly underestimated. Since that time, his reassessment of Frankish and Anglo-Saxon shipbuilding and seafaring has been widely praised and accepted.

‘The book remains a historical study of the first order. It is required reading for our seminar on medieval seafaring at Texas A & M University and is essential reading for anyone interested in the subject.’

F. H. Van Doorninck, The American Neptune

‘The author has done a fine job, and his clear and strongly put theories will hopefully further the discussion of this important part of European history.’

Arne Emil Christensen, The International Journal of Nautical Archaeology

‘Writing a comprehensive history of the clandestine activities of preliterate Dark Age societies is an ambitious task and this book is a remarkable achievement.’

Gillian Hutchinson, Mariner’s Mirror

In this second edition, some sections of the book have been revised and updated to include information gained from excavations and sea trials with sailing replicas of early ships. The new evidence lends weight to the author’s argument that early Germanic shipbuilding and seafaring skills were far more advanced than previously thought. It also supports the view that Viking ships and seaborne activities were not as revolutionary as is commonly believed.

£18·95    224 pages   hardback

Woden's Warriors
Warfare, Beliefs, Arms and Armour
in Northern Europe during the 6-7th Centuries

Paul Mortimer

This book explores some of the ideas and resources used by warriors in Anglo-Saxon England and Northern Europe during the 6th and 7th centuries.

This was a time of great change following a period of migration. Warrior kings and their followers gave expression to their status and wealth through the creation of embellished war gear made with great craftsmanship and artistry. It was a time when traditional beliefs and power structures faced challenges from a centralised and powerful Church. In the turmoil of the time, traditional ideas about identity and belief were mingling with new Christian values.

The aim of this book is to provide a glimpse of what it was like to be part of a warrior society. The author looks in detail at the weapons and armour used, and the attitudes and beliefs that inspired the warriors and shaped their societies.

305 black & white and colour illustrations

£45      304 pages   Large formate hardback  296 x 296mm

"An under-the-skin study of the role, rights, duties, psyche and rituals of the Anglo-Saxon warrior. The author combines original translations from Norse and Old English primary sources with archaeological and linguistic evidence for an in-depth look at the warrior, his weapons, tactics and logistics. A very refreshing, innovative and well-written piece of scholarship that illuminates a neglected period of English history."

Time Team Booklists Channel 4 Television

This important work is not intended to be a bald listing of the battles and campaigns from the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle and other sources, but rather it is an attempt to get below the surface of Anglo-Saxon warriorhood and to investigate the rites, social attitudes, mentality and mythology of the warfare of those times.

Appendices offer original translations of the three principal Old English military poems, the battles of Maldon, Finnsburh and Brunanburh

38 figures and illustrations

£16·95   272pp   hardback