Arthur and the Anglo-Saxon Wars (Men-at-Arms, 154)

Good book with solid history and fascinating illustrations.

Good history

This book is, so far, my favourite made by the "team" David Nicolle and Angus McBride; complementing a great and concise text by David Nicolle is some of the best artwork made by Angus McBride.The text is divided in the following parts: introduction, chronology, the Arthurian age, Saxon and Celt, Britain and the Vikings.The text provides a brief but very good introduction to the subject (Britain from the end of Roman dominion to the battle of Hastings) and is complemented by a fairly good bibliography (for further reading on the subject); perhaps this bibliography could be updated by the publishers or author (online?) as the book was published 20 years ago.As I am an amateur illustrator I will take a little more space talking about the colour plates.Honestly I can say that all of them are great!When I got the book and was looking at the colour plates, every new one astonished me; the details, the composition and the atmosphere are superb in all of the illustration.Next I will talk about each plate and present some of the best aspects of each one.Plate A depicts a group of late roman soldiers; the faces of all of them and the helmet of figure 1;Plate B presents some Anglo-Saxon warriors; the helmets and the entire figure 1;Plate C (used in the cover art) is about a Romano-British warriors; the atmosphere and composition;Plate D illustrates Pictish and north-British warriors; the atmosphere (at night) and the face of figure 3;Plate E is about Ireland; again the faces, figure 2 and the army in the background;Plate F (my favourite) represents a 9th century English king and a warrior and a monk; the composition, the atmosphere and details as the king's cloths;Plate G illustrates some Scandinavians warriors; the composition and the armour of figure 1 and the tunic of figure 3;Plate H (one of the best) the composition and the atmosphere (in battle).Either you are interested in the subject or really like good artwork this is really a must buy book!

how could you give this book anything other than a five star rating. the scholarly writing is excellant, and the art is wonderful! you cannot go wrong with David Nicolle and Angus McBride. buy this and be happy!

This book has virtually nothing to do with the 'Arthurian' period, much less literature. It generally focuses on giving a brief overview of British arms, armor, and armies between the later days of the Roman occupation to the eve of the Norman conquest. The text also briefly touches on the Irish, Scots, and Picts. Plates are good as usual, as is the text, but just not enough space.

Purchased this for my husband but was a bit disappointed in how thin it was and how it’s more of a picture book or a snippet from a text book

There's a little bit on King Arthur but the name itself isn't entirely accurate. It's more about the historic time period of the Anglo-Saxon wars, and less about who King Arthur was, or if he was.

This is one of the older ones of the Men-at-Arms series and was first published in 1984. Rather than being entirely focused on Arthur and the Anglo-Saxons, as I had expected when I bought it years ago, it is in fact a relatively short (40 pages only) overview of the whole period going from the end of Roman Britain to Normans. Because of this, it is rather high level and succinct. Some might even find it somewhat superficial, although it does show the main evolutions and helps to put things in perspective.The book has also become somewhat dated, particularly with regards to the sections on post-Roman Britain and the Early Anglo-Saxons, where more recent archeological finds have tended to modify historians perspectives. It also has some flaws and imprecisions, for instance in the chronology which mentions that the last Roman regular troops were withdrawn in 407, which is somewhat unlikely. Another simplification is the dating of the "traditional death of Arthur", supposed to be in AD 537 where, essentially, we simply do not know for certain and some historians even dispute whether this legendary character ever existed. By and large, however, this is a relatively good, even if high level, introduction into the so-called "Dark Ages".The main merit of this book nowadays lies probably with its plates from Angus McBride which are simply excellent and would be particularly useful for a wargamer wanting to paint his/her figurines, for instance. My favorites were the Late Roman and Romano-British ones, but the others are also very good.

Référence incontournable pour les médiévistes la série des Ospreys est une mine d'infos.Par contre vous ne les trouverez pas en version française, il ne sont qu'en Anglais....à vos traducteurs !Pour celui-ci c'est un bon rappelle sur la vie du temps d'Arthur, nous oublions trop souvent que l'origine du héros de la table ronde trouve sa source dans un temps bien plus ancien que celui de Chrétien de Troyes.l'histoire reteint surtout la débandade de l'empire romains ayant laisser tous sur place au mur d'Adrien et la bataille du mont Badon, mais on en apprend un peu plus sur cette période très intéressante.pour ceux qui aime l'histoire de la fin d'un empire, les légendes et ceux qui à fait une légende....

Very good illustrations and a well written description of the Arthurian / Dark Ages changes in British society.

Another Great Osprey Book!

As usual with a good Osprey it leaves you wanting more but a good overview of the period that goes into more depth than some titles. My only criticism is the misleading title. It's not only about King Arthur (real or otherwise) fighting Saxons but rather King Arthur and other wars fought by the Anglo Saxons upto 1066 (which is mentioned only in passing). The Early Anglo Saxon Wars could be a better title but less catchy! However does the job for me and gives a good view of major developments in Britain Post Roman rule.

Vision historique de la « légende » Arthurienne. On y apprend beaucoup