Athelstan (Penguin Monarchs) by Tom Holland

Athelstan (Penguin Monarchs) by Tom Holland

The acclaimed Penguin Monarchs series: short, fresh, expert accounts of England's rulers - now in paperback

The formation of England happened against the odds - the division of the country into rival kingdoms, the assaults of the Vikings, the precarious position of the island on the edge of the known world. But King Alfred ensured the survival of Wessex, his son Eadweard expanded it, and his grandson Æthelstan finally united Mercia and Wessex, conquered Northumbria and became Rex totius Britanniae.

Tom Holland recounts this extraordinarily exciting story with relish and drama. We meet the great figures of the age, including Alfred and his daughter Æthelflæd, 'Lady of the Mercians', who brought Æthelstan up at the Mercian court. At the end of the book we understand the often confusing history of the Anglo-Saxon kings better than ever before.

Tom Holland is an award-winning historian, biographer, and broadcaster. His books include Rubicon (winner of the Hessell-Tiltman Prize for History, shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize); Persian Fire (winner of the Anglo-Hellenic League’s Runciman Award), In the Shadow of the Sword, and Dynasty. His most recent book, Pax, covers the heyday of the Roman Empire, from the death of Nero to Hadrian. Holland has adapted Homer, Herodotus, Thucydides and Virgil for the BBC, and his translation of Herodotus was published in 2013 by Penguin Classics. He is co-presenter of the world’s most downloaded history podcast, The Rest is History.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780141987330
ISBN 10	0141987332
Title	Athelstan (Penguin Monarchs)
Author	Tom Holland
Series	Penguin Monarchs
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Penguin Books Ltd
Year published	2018-06-28
Number of pages	144
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.