Alfred P. Smyth is Professor of Medieval History, and Master of
Keynes College at Kent University.
Amongst his many books are: Scandinavian Kings in the British Isles
(OUP, 1976), A Biographical Dictionary of Dark Age Britain (with A.
Williams & D. Kirby, Seaby, 1987), Faith, Famine and Fatherland in
the 19th-century Irish Midlands (Four Courts Press, Dublin, 1992)
`This is certainly a compelling thesis (and, for specialists, a
riveting read) ...'
Sunday Telegraph
`...monumental and polemical biography...Smyth's dismissal of Asser
allows him to present a more convincing picture of an early
medieval king...Smyth's detailed and pugnaciously argued book shows
a conception of scholarship as a battlefield similar to the
"killing grounds" of the Viking wars.'
The Guardian
`helpful scholarly references abound...Sturdy writes interestingly
on the whole notion of the heroic age...'
Antonia Fraser, The Sunday Times
`...elaborate and impressive study...It provides a most interesting
account of academic scholarship...Smyth does manage to grasp the
elusive figure of the real King named Alfred. This is in every
sense a magisterial work, with some 600 pages of detailed and
clearly arfued narrative.'
The Times
`a formidable work'
London Review of Books
`This substantial piece of scholarship challenges traditional
academic wisdom surrounding the ninth century king of Wessex whose
achievements changed the course of English history prior to the
Norman Conquest...the Alfred who emerges is a man of genuine piety,
extraordinary intellectual and emotional resilience, as well as
great physical stamina. Throughout, Smyth remains in serene command
of both his complex sources and of the English
language...essential
reading for students of Alfredian and early medieval England'
Kirkus Reviews
`engrossing...medieval scholars and amateurs with a love of English
history will find much here to inspire them.'
Booklist
`A major study of the life and achievements of Alfred ...
Controversial, extremely detailed, very interesting.'
The Medieval World
`The key part of his work is an elaborate argument to show that the
contemporary Life of Alfred, attributed to Asser, is a forgery,
worthless as evidence for the King and the events of his
reign.....The case is argued in grreat detail, and deserves more
thorough consideration than can be given in a brief review.'
Times Literary Supplement
`There are excellent reconstructions of Alfred's wars with the
Vikings, taking into account insights provided by contemporary
Frankish annals ... anyone already familiar with the reign of
Alfred is going to find many of their preconceptions challenged and
that is no bad thing.'
Barbara Yorke, History Today
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