Review
"Winner of the Historians of British Art Book Prize, Pre-1600"
"Shortlisted for the 2019 Wolfson History Prize, Wolfson Foundation"
"One of History Today's Best Books of 2018"
"A cutting-edge survey of how England came literally to be built. Beautifully illustrated and possessed of a panoramic sweep, it integrates archaeology, topography and textual studies to ground-breaking effect. The origins and early history of places across England are brought alive as rarely before."---Tom Holland, History Today
"The most stimulating book I’ve read this year. . . . This magnificent work draws together a wealth of archaeological, artistic and written evidence to offer a new picture of the inhabited landscapes of early medieval England. . . . Beautifully written and generously illustrated, this book is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand how the Anglo-Saxons saw and interacted with the places in which they lived."---Eleanor Parker, History Today
"Beautifully presented and richly illustrated. . . . A panoramic view, providing new insights into Anglo-Saxon architecture and a new way of understanding the Anglo-Saxon world."---William Whyte, Church Times
"This is a book that should be read by most scholars and students working on this period. It embodies much personal research and will undoubtedly lead on to many further discussions."---Della Hooke, Medieval Archaeology
"Perceptively and compellingly constructed, and richly furnished with illustrations, maps and plans throughout, it again represents a hugely important contribution from a most luminary scholar."---Duncan W. Wright, Early Medieval Europe
"A welcome change to some more traditional history books that focus on the information gleaned from the written word, this work takes advantage of some of the most recent archaeological discoveries, some of which are from unpublished sources." ― Local History Society Newsletter
"There appears to be some basis for the theory of a freer Saxon England, and if the period is of deeper interest to you, then you’ll well be rewarded by this book."---Stewart Rayment, interLib
Review
"John Blair has a reputation for being one of the most original historians of Anglo-Saxon England, and he amply merits that with this amazing new book. This deft mixture of archaeology, history, and place-name studies shows us how Anglo-Saxon villages worked, in ways that have never been attempted before. Everyone in the future will have to start with this pathbreaking work."―Chris Wickham, author of Medieval Europe
"A magisterial work. Blair provides a compelling, integrated survey of Anglo-Saxon settlement, habitation, architecture, landscape design, and urban design. An impressive book of sweeping coverage, Building Anglo-Saxon England will undoubtedly become the standard work in the field."―Richard Gameson, author of The Role of Art in the Late Anglo-Saxon Church
"A book that will undoubtedly shape approaches to early medieval England for many years to come."―Richard Jones, author of The Medieval Natural World
From the Back Cover
"John Blair has a reputation for being one of the most original historians of Anglo-Saxon England, and he amply merits that with this amazing new book. This deft mixture of archaeology, history, and place-name studies shows us how Anglo-Saxon villages worked, in ways that have never been attempted before. Everyone in the future will have to start with this pathbreaking work."--Chris Wickham, author of Medieval Europe
"A magisterial work. Blair provides a compelling, integrated survey of Anglo-Saxon settlement, habitation, architecture, landscape design, and urban design. An impressive book of sweeping coverage, Building Anglo-Saxon England will undoubtedly become the standard work in the field."--Richard Gameson, author of The Role of Art in the Late Anglo-Saxon Church
"A book that will undoubtedly shape approaches to early medieval England for many years to come."--Richard Jones, author of The Medieval Natural World
About the Author
John Blair is Emeritus Professor of Medieval History and Archaeology at the University of Oxford and Emeritus Fellow in History at The Queen’s College, Oxford. His books include The Church in Anglo-Saxon Society and The Anglo-Saxon Age: A Very Short Introduction.
