This volume is framed by articles that throw interesting light on the achievement and reputation of the greatest of Anglo-Saxon kings - Alfred. It opens with a wide-ranging study of the literary and archaeological evidence for the novel design of Alfred's ships, design which in later times led to his being regarded as the father of the English navy. The book closes with a survey of the development of the Alfredian legend from the tenth to the twentieth century, with material drawn from a wide variety of different sources, including art and literature, much of which may be unfamiliar to students of Anglo-Saxon England. Between these two articles on King Alfred lies a variety of studies which illustrate Anglo-Saxon England's aim of encouraging the interdisciplinary study of surviving records. The usual comprehensive bibliography of the previous year's publications in all branches of Anglo-Saxon studies rounds off the book.
