Written by the Oxford historian Henrietta Leyser, BEDA is a gazetteer to the remaining Anglo-Saxon ruins in England, many of them from the time of the Venerable Bede. For those who have bought Simon Jenkins' 100 Best Churches and now want something different, this is an invaluable window onto the world of the author of the Ecclesiastical History of the English People.

Concentrating on Bede himself (our most valuable historical source on Anglo Saxon England, and author of books that played a key role in the development of English national identity), BEDA is an accessible history and a guidebook simultaneously.

Since Sr Benedicta Ward's book on Bede, with its endorsement by Rowan Williams, general interest in Anglo-Saxon Britain has been growing. BEDA serves as a perfect introduction to the subject, and is the only book of its kind.

Henrietta Leyser

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