Little Kingdoms: An A-Z of Early Medieval Britain by ALex Harvey

The history covers the Early Medieval period, also known as the Migration Period or the Dark Ages, which is between the fifth and tenth centuries. Starting with a place named Aechse and ending with Ytene, the history moves through the British Isles focusing on the site or an object to form ‘mini narratives’, so by the end of the book there is a rounded study into the communities, names and landscapes of the time.

This is an interesting way to present research and history to prevent it becoming a dry academic text, which may well have happened if it was organised by the thematic structure of the author’s focus. The book includes stylised maps and images of landscapes and artefacts, which enhances the reading experience for the layman, alongside the clear, friendly language used. 

The book can be used as an encyclopedia of course, as the first thing I did on receiving it was to check out the entries on the places I know, but, certainly for some locations, the information becomes more generalised about aspects of life, for example, and is no longer solely about the site itself.  It did come across as a little odd when I initially read this, but when read through the chronological pages it all made sense.

Overall this is a fun and informative book and I particularly like how the communities are at the heart of this work. Intensely researched, expertly expressed and covering so many aspects of this period, this is a gem of a book.