The Anglo-Saxons

An absolute masterpiece. It feels like the missing piece of historiography on an essential period of our past. Marc Morris is the platonic ideal of scholarly yet readable big history.

DAN SNOW

The people and times are brought vividly back to life allowing the reader to see, perhaps for the first time, the foundations of modern England ... A remarkable achievement. Marc's book will surely become a must-read for any student of English history, and particularly of this woefully overlooked, but vital, period.

JUSTIN POLLARD

A rich trove of ancient wonders, worthy of many a night in the mead hall, listening to its telling! Yet it is also a book for our time ... Marc Morris is a genius of medieval narrative, and I am full of admiration.

IAN MORTIMER

A deep dive into one of the murkiest ages in our national history ... Morris is an accomplished guide to the tricksy Anglo-Saxon world ... Clever, lively ... splendid new book.

DAN JONES, Sunday Times

Skilfully evokes each era of Anglo-Saxon England ... Morris guides the reader with aplomb, providing a survey of Anglo-Saxon history that is both rounded and nuanced, while still accessible.

Literary Review

This is top-notch narrative history ... A big gold bar of delight, the special joy of which is that the florid world of Anglo-Saxon England will become known to many. As an up-to-date, accessible narrative history of the period, I know of none better.

Spectator

Brilliant ... Beautifully written, incredibly accessible and deeply researched. I couldn't recommend it more highly.

JAMES O’BRIEN

[A] triumph ... Nobody will be able to resist Morris's telling of this tale, which gallops along, lit up by his love for his subject as well as his learning ... [A] magnificent retelling of our past.

New European

The historian Marc Morris masterfully picks out key themes and characters, from King Offa to Alfred the Great, to produce a coherent and compelling narrative of this turbulent time.

Pippa Bailey, New Statesman

A thorough and accessible account of this important period.

Financial Times

Highly informative and hugely enjoyable. Marc Morris illuminates England's weird and wonderful early history with erudition and wit.

IAN HISLOP

A fascinating journey into the world of Anglo-Saxon Britain.

The Times, Best Books to Read for Summer

A vivid, sharply drawn story of seven centuries of profound political change, told with wit, authority and shrewd historical judgement. The Anglo-Saxons is a superbly clear and evocative journey through England's beginnings, and Marc Morris is a wonderful guide.

Thomas Penn

This is a much-needed book - an accessible, eminently readable account of the peoples who first made England. It's a gripping story, beautifully told!

Bernard Cornwell, author of The Last Kingdom