The most important written work in English before the Norman Conquest, newly translated.

Made up of annals written in the monasteries of Winchester, Canterbury, Peterborough, Abingdon, and Worcester, The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle marks the beginning of the unmannered simplicity of English prose. Immediately striking are the accounts of the Danish invasions and the unhappiness of Stephen's reign, together with the lyrical poem on the Battle of Brunanburh. Ranging from the start of the Christian era to 1154, the uniqueness of the chronicle as an historical and literary document makes it of compelling interest throughout. The historical, linguistic and literary importance of The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is without parallel.

Michael Swanton is professor of Medieval Studies at the University of Exeter, and has held visiting professorships at Justus-Liebig Universität (Germany), and l'Université de Lausanne (Switzerland). Formerly Editor of the Royal Archaeological Institute, he is Fellow of both the Society of Antiquaries and The Royal Historical Society, and lectures widely on various aspects of early English culture. His extensive publications include translations of the epic poem Beowulf (1978) and a selection of Anglo-Saxon Prose (2nd edition, Everyman, 1993)