The Anglo-Saxon Age

Would I ever go to A Very Short Introduction as a definitive text for something? No, never. But I would head there for a great overview of anything. The series provides a ton of useful information about the subject matter (in this case, The Anglo-Saxon Age). Blair covers many of the art, literary and historical events that defined the age. It's a very short introduction, but it does its job well.

John Blair does something in this book that I had thought impossible: he handles over 600 years of history quickly and easily. Well under 100 pages, this book is not only "very short" but very understandable. Blair begins with some background on Roman-occupied Britain, but the story begins in earnest with the Roman withdrawal and the invasions of the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes from mainland Europe. From there Blair describes the development of Anglo-Saxon government and culture, giving lots of time to the Viking invasions and English attempts to fight back. Overall, this book is a very good, fast-paced (only 75 pages!) guide to the Anglo-Saxon age. Blair covers all the major topics and even has some time for cultural development, including describing the impact of the English outside of England. The book tends to focus more on the later Anglo-Saxon era, from Alfred the Great to the Norman conquest, but this is really more of a matter of how sparsely documented the early years of the period are. Recommended to anyone hoping for a quick guide to Anglo-Saxon England.

With the main text being only 75 pages, this is a very short Very Short Introduction, but an excellent one nonetheless. It covers the years 450 to 1066, but with just a cursory glance at events before 600. It is fact-packed and readable, with good illustrations, including two very useful maps. You should certainly read Roman Britain: A Very Short Introduction before this, and ideally, The Celts: A very Short Introduction, before that. This particular book leaves the reader with a strong sense of how much the Anglo-Saxon age shaped England's landscape and culture. If you want a broad overview of British history, this may be all you need for this period. If you intend to delve deeper into the era, this is a great place to start.

This very short introduction may have been a little too short. But I did learn quite a bit - I'll just have to supplement it with other reading.