History of England (Part I): Reference Sources

Chronological coverage is roughly from 500 - 1500 A.D.

The most comprehensive illustrated guide to the art, architecture, and history of Britain ever produced. Written by a prestigious team of expert authors, Treasures of Britain includes over 2,000 alphabetical entries that describe England's heritage and landscape, from medieval churches and cathedrals to historic castles and stunning gardens. Lavishly illustrated with over 1,500 color photographs, this is an unrivaled volume, a classic source of information on Britain's past and present.

This major 2006 history of monasticism in early Anglo-Saxon England explores the history of the Church between the conversion to Christianity in the sixth century and a monastic revival in the tenth. It represents the first comprehensive revision of accepted views about monastic life in England before the Benedictine reform. Sarah Foot shows how early Anglo-Saxon religious houses were simultaneously active and contemplative, their members withdrawing from the preoccupations of contemporary aristocratic society, while still remaining part of that world. Focusing on the institution of the 'minster' (the communal religious community) and rejecting a simplistic binary division between active 'minsters' and enclosed 'monasteries', Foot argues that historians have been wrong to see minsters in the light of ideals of Benedictine monasticism. Instead, she demonstrates that Anglo-Saxon minsters reflected more of contemporary social attitudes; despite their aim for solitude, they retained close links to aristocratic German society.

Food in Anglo-Saxon Englandtells the story of what people ate and drank in England before the changes that have made our diet so sophisticated, varied, and paradoxically, homogeneous. Only very high-value goods such as spices and wine were imported into England at this time, so people were dependent upon native foods. This extensively illustrated book paints a vivid picture of the Anglo-Saxon diet, and includes recipes and a reconstruction of a typical Anglo-Saxon meal.

A revised translation edited by Dorothy Whitelock, with David C. Douglas and Susie I. Tucker.

This valuable reference work offers concise, expert answers to questions on all aspects of life and culture in medieval England-art, architecture, law, literature, kings, commoners, women, music, commerce, technology, warfare, religion, and many others. It takes as its scope English social, cultural, and political life from the Anglo-Saxon invasions in the fifth century to the turn of the sixteenth century. To make it even more useful to information seekers, the Encyclopedia also traces England's ties to the Celtic world of Wales, Scotland, and Ireland, to the French and Anglo-Norman world of the Continent, to the Viking and Scandinavian world of the North Sea, and to the world of medieval Christendom. The result is a detailed portrait of the English Middle Ages and their key historical events, personages, and cultural contexts.

Over 4000 entries - ranging from quick-reference summaries to essay-length overviews - provide a wealth of fact and insight on all aspects of the subject and from a variety of perspectives, including social, political, military, cultural, economic, scientific, and feminist. As well as coverage of expected topics such as monarchs, battles, and political events, there are dozens of entries on the wider aspects of British life and culture over the centuries: Boudica and Stanley Baldwin are here, but so are Enid Blyton and Jesse Boot, whilst the Boat Race and Big Ben find a place along with the Bloody Assizes and the Battle of Bosworth. The unrivalled range of lateral coverage includes authors, composers and musicians, legal and technical terms, newspapers and periodicals, ranks and orders, sport and leisure, and scholarship and education. For readers interested in local history, or who like to explore history on the ground, thereare also entries on individual counties, cathedrals and churches, palaces and royal residences, and a range of other sites of historical significance.

The Oxford Dictionary of the Middle Ages is reference resource for all key aspects of European history, society, religion, and culture from circa 500 CE to circa 1500 CE. This dictionary will appeal to both medievalists needing a detailed and reliable reference tool for their own research and teaching, and non-specialists needing an accessible guide to the study of the Middle Ages.