The Deeds of the English Kings

Written in the 1120s and later revised, this Latin history of the English monarchy runs from the arrival of the English in Britain to the reign of Henry I. William of Malmesbury, a Benedictine of Malmesbury, draws on Bede, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, and continental writers, and he pauses for character sketches, miracles, and comments on sources. Kings, bishops, and conquerors from Athelstan and Cnut to William I and Henry I occupy the foreground. The work is a learned medieval chronicle of royal deeds, not a modern national history and not a cartulary of his abbey.

Gilded top edge. Bound in mid-browb cloth, blocked in gilt and grey with artwork by Charlotte Orr.