The Battle of Hastings: The Fall of the Anglo-Saxons and the Rise of the Normans

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This book is an easy read. Many will feel short-changed since the battle is covered in only one chapter. A great deal of academic hairsplitting will turn some readers off.Basically a book worth reading.

A great book on the Battle of Hastings. The author writes in a very easy to understand fashion while also making reference to relevant primary documentation which is cited extensively. The description on the Norman and English orders of battle and their military organization is excellent. The constant reference to the Bayeux tapestry to describe the different phases of the battle is also of great interest. Highly recommended.

While it does contain a fair amount of useful information, this book reads more like a summarization of historical sources of the time period rather than a detailed account of the battle. The author wastes a fair amount of time and energy haggling over the possible locations, troop strengths and reliability of sources and continually digs around the edges of the event instead of diving into the heart of the matter which is the battle itself.

Please note, Amazon lists this book as 352 pages. However, this edition by Pegasus is 216 pages total... 181 pages not including the Index and Notes sections. It appears to be an American edition of a book previously written by the same author. I was hoping for a new book about the Battle of Hastings, but this is relatively short, a bit dry and there is not much new on the subject here.

Book was not much of a narrative as the description implies. like a history of the history rather than telling the story of William the Conqueror and the Battle of Hastings. And that would be fine if it was why I bought the book, but I did not learn much new about the battle and did not enjoy the read. Read more

A very good read well written and very enjoyable book