Product Description

This new edition of Michael Wood's groundbreaking first book explores the fascinating and mysterious centuries between the Romans and the Norman Conquest of 1066. In Search of the Dark Ages vividly conjures up some of the most famous names in British history, such as Queen Boadicea, leader of a terrible war of resistance against the Romans, and King Arthur, the 'once and future king', for whose riddle Wood proposes a new and surprising solution. Here too, warts and all, are the Saxon, Viking and Norman kings who laid the political foundations of England - Offa of Mercia, Alfred the Great, Athelstan, and William the Conqueror, whose victory at Hastings in 1066 marked the end of Anglo-Saxon England. Reflecting recent historical, textual and archaeological research, this revised and updated edition of Michael Wood's classic book overturns preconceptions of the Dark Ages as a shadowy and brutal era, showing them to be a richly exciting and formative period in the history of Britain. 'With In Search of the Dark Ages, Michael Wood wrote the book for history on TV.' - The Times 'Michael Wood is the maker of some of the best TV documentaries ever made on history and archaeology.' - Times Literary Supplement

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #23747 in Books
• Published on: 2006-06-02
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 272 pages

Customer Reviews

an excellent book on early English history
For some reason the BBC has consistently and persistently managed to find as specialist presenters experts who are also thoughtful and talented communicators.
This is the accompanying book for his 1981 TV series of the same name, and consists of a series of essays (one for each episode of the series) on early British and English history.
Wood is an excellent essayist, and a genuine scholar in his field. In fact of the various books he has written, this one and the more reflective "in search of England" most seem to reflect his own studies and enthusiasms.
This is a fine introduction to the subjects in question. Bear in mind it's a set of essays and not a comprehensive history of the period, and that despite the title only covers Anglo-British history.
This edition was revised in 2001 to take into account more recent historical study.

A great introduction to the period
In search of the Dark Ages is a cracking introduction to anybody studying or wishing to know more about this fascinating yet little understood period of British history. Woods use and interpretation of source material, both primary and second is very good especially his insight into the archaeological evidence both past and present. He steers clear of too much speculation and that which he does use is measured and well thought out. Im sure there are some pretty weighty tomes on several of the personalities included, such as Alfred the Great and King Athelstan for anybody wishing to dig out a more in depth history but for a simple introduction you can’t go much wrong with this. I can be a little heavy going in places and probably isn’t the ideal book to be reading at 7 o’clock, half asleep on the way to work but on the whole I highly recommend it to anybody wishing to explore Anglo-Saxon/Viking/Norman history in the British Isles.

Its Criminal that Woods early series have not been released onto DVD
I can remember way back in 1981 when a younger Michael Wood introduced us to the Dark Ages and up to the time of King Edward and the legacy of Domesday.
These magnificent books have now been in print for over twenty years and are amongst the most interesting and well researched books on the period.

Woods a classical Oxford scholar has always been a favorite of mine in his very entertaining yet precise accurate explanation of a period where little material exists.It has been many years since these magnificent series have been televised and it is a travesty that both Insearch of the Dark Ages and Domesday a search for England have never been released on either video let alone DVd.

The series were so informative and memorable especially Domesday that i would pay a considerable sum to posses them on disc.I have even written a letter to the BBC asking on a possible release date but their replie was that they were unsure and would keep me informed.

The books are a timely reminder of how good Woods is at his research.If you are familiar with his other works,Trojan War,Insearch of Shakespeare etc both which are on dvd,superb as they are but are nowhere near as informative about the period in history as his early series.

Im sure you are choosing Woods book due to your knowledge of his ability as a historian with six BBc series to his credit but if you didnot see In Search of The Dark Ages on television all those years ago you have been robbed of a rare treat.

This book is the equal of any on the shelf of your bookseller,written in a way that makes history more accesable to the masses but when or if those magnificent series become available on dvd then you will realise how good they are,so good that i can still remember them all those years ago.