RESCHEDULED DATE
Join us for an evening with renowned historian Marc Morris as he talks about his latest book The Anglo-Saxons, shining a light on Britain’s Dark Ages.
Sixteen hundred years ago Britain left the Roman Empire and swiftly fell into ruin. Grand cities and luxurious villas were deserted and left to crumble, and civil society collapsed into chaos. Into this violent and unstable world came foreign invaders from across the sea, and established themselves as its new masters.
The Anglo-Saxons traces the turbulent history of these people across the next six centuries. It explains how their earliest rulers fought relentlessly against each other for glory and supremacy, and then were almost destroyed by the onslaught of the Vikings. It explores how they abandoned their old gods for Christianity, established hundreds of churches and created dazzlingly intricate works of art. It charts the revival of towns and trade, and the origins of a familiar landscape of shires, boroughs and bishoprics.
It is a tale of famous figures like King Offa, Alfred the Great and Edward the Confessor, but also features a host of lesser known characters – ambitious queens, revolutionary saints, intolerant monks and grasping nobles. Through their remarkable careers we see how a new society, a new culture and a single unified nation came into being.
Drawing on a vast range of original evidence – chronicles, letters, archaeology and artefacts – renowned historian Marc Morris illuminates a period of history that is only dimly understood, separates the truth from the legend, and tells the extraordinary story of how the foundations of England were laid.
We are delighted to welcome Marc Morris back to Booka during Independent Bookshop Week as we celebrate the paperback publication of The Anglo-Saxons.
‘Marc Morris is a genius of medieval narrative’
IAN MORTIMER, author of The Time Traveller’s Guide to Medieval England
‘Brilliant … Beautifully written, incredibly accessible and deeply researched’
JAMES O’BRIEN
‘A much-needed book … A gripping story, beautifully told’
BERNARD CORNWELL, author of The Last Kingdom
‘Highly informative and hugely enjoyable’
IAN HISLOP
‘A vivid, sharply drawn story of seven centuries of profound political change’
THOMAS PENN, author of The Winter King
Tickets: £7 without book (Admits One, ticket redeemable against a signed copy of The Anglo Saxons) or £11 with book (Admits One, includes a signed copy of The Anglo Saxons). Tickets available from the bookshop or purchase online (with booking fee).