Alfred the Great: Asser's Life of King Alfred & Other Contemporary Sources (Penguin Classics) |
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| Title: | Alfred the Great: Asser's Life of King Alfred & Other Contemporary Sources (Penguin Classics) |
| Author: | Anonymous
Simon Keynes (Translator) |
| Publisher: | Penguin Classics |
| Type: | Book / Paperback |
| Publication Date: | 03 January, 1984 |
| ISBN / ISBN-13: | 0140444092 / 9780140444094 |
| List Price: | $16.00 |
| You Save: | $5.12 |
| Amazon Price: | $10.88 |
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This book is also available, brand-new, from 3rd-party marketplace sellers at Amazon.com, from $8.89.
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Editorial Review / Publisher's Information:
Product Description
Asser's Life of King Alfred, written in 893, is a revealing account of one of the greatest of medieval kings. Composed by a monk of St David's in Wales who became Bishop of Sherborne in Alfred's service and worked with him in his efforts to revive religion and learning in his kingdom, this life is among the earliest surviving royal biographies. It is an admiring account of King Alfred's life, written in absorbing detail - chronicling his battles against Viking invaders and his struggle to increase the strength and knowledge of his people, and to unite his people at a time of conflict, uncertainty and war.
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Customer Reviews:
• Alfred The Great
28 August, 2009
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 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.
Of particular interest are the excerpts from the writings of King Alfred; he commissioned translations of works he considered of particular interest or importance, and many of these translations were made by Alfred himself. In many cases, the translations were more like commentaries, and an analysis of Alfred's interpretation of various works sheds an interesting light on the kinds of concerns (political, literary, and theological) he had. One fact which comes shining through, for example, is that he viewed his kingship as a personal and moral responsibility and approached it with great seriousness.
Readers interested in Dark Age or English history should find this edition indispensable, but I think that anyone would enjoy and benefit from reading about the life and deeds of the admirable King Alfred.
- Amazon Customer Review
• Alfred For High School Students
04 July, 2001
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.
- Amazon Customer Review
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