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librarianonparade's review against another edition
4.0
I've always thought it criminal that Alfred, the king who did more than any other in creating what we know today as England, is these days almost solely remembered for his mythical 'burning of the cakes'. A king as remarkable as Alfred deserves to be remembered for more than that! After all, we've only ever had one king who earned the appellation 'Great', and there's a reason for it.
This is a fascinating and eminently biography of Alfred, detailing his battles against Viking raiders and his efforts to create a safe, peaceful and literate country from the remnants of the various shattered kingdoms of England. Whilst he may not have been known as 'the Great' in his day, reading this book you can see why he earned it nonetheless. Alfred held back the Vikings, created our first navy, promoted education and literacy, learned Latin in his thirties so he could translate important books and texts for his people, reformed the coinage, codified the law. A truly remarkable man.
This is a fascinating and eminently biography of Alfred, detailing his battles against Viking raiders and his efforts to create a safe, peaceful and literate country from the remnants of the various shattered kingdoms of England. Whilst he may not have been known as 'the Great' in his day, reading this book you can see why he earned it nonetheless. Alfred held back the Vikings, created our first navy, promoted education and literacy, learned Latin in his thirties so he could translate important books and texts for his people, reformed the coinage, codified the law. A truly remarkable man.
librarianonparade's review
4.0
I've always thought it criminal that Alfred, the king who did more than any other in creating what we know today as England, is these days almost solely remembered for his mythical 'burning of the cakes'. A king as remarkable as Alfred deserves to be remembered for more than that! After all, we've only ever had one king who earned the appellation 'Great', and there's a reason for it.
This is a fascinating and eminently biography of Alfred, detailing his battles against Viking raiders and his efforts to create a safe, peaceful and literate country from the remnants of the various shattered kingdoms of England. Whilst he may not have been known as 'the Great' in his day, reading this book you can see why he earned it nonetheless. Alfred held back the Vikings, created our first navy, promoted education and literacy, learned Latin in his thirties so he could translate important books and texts for his people, reformed the coinage, codified the law. A truly remarkable man.
This is a fascinating and eminently biography of Alfred, detailing his battles against Viking raiders and his efforts to create a safe, peaceful and literate country from the remnants of the various shattered kingdoms of England. Whilst he may not have been known as 'the Great' in his day, reading this book you can see why he earned it nonetheless. Alfred held back the Vikings, created our first navy, promoted education and literacy, learned Latin in his thirties so he could translate important books and texts for his people, reformed the coinage, codified the law. A truly remarkable man.
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