Poison Pen Press

Anglo-Saxons & Vikings


Anglo-Saxons

Cooking Section:

Anglo-Saxon Food Production & Distribution (combined edition)  - $49.95
Ann Hagen. A reissue of the Handbook and Second Handbook in one volume.  Extremely valuable in this field, where there is so little available. Prospect Books

Tastes of Anglo-Saxon England - $9.95
Mary Savelli. A carefully researched compendium of recipes from Early Medieval Britain, each complemented with historical and source information. General information about drinks & cooking techniques, followed by 46 recipes. 80pp, paper. Anglo-Saxon Books.

 

Costume Section:

Cloth & Clothing in Anglo-Saxon England AD 450-700 --$39.95
Penelope Rogers. This archeological study of textiles & costume considers all aspects of early Anglo-Saxon clothing. Regional styles of dress, & Scandinavian & Continental influences help to place the study in its broader historical context. Amply illustrated w/ line drawings & reconstructions of costumes. PB. 250pp, biblo, index. Council/Brit Archeo

Dress in Anglo-Saxon England - $40.00
Gale R Owen-Crocker. Revised & expanded edition. Considerably updated, this new edition focuses on English dress from the fifth to the eleventh centuries. It draws evidence from archeology, text and art (manuscripts, ivories, metalwork, stone sculpture, mosaics), and also from re-enactors’ experience. It examines archaeological textiles, cloth production and the significance of imported cloth, and foreign fashions. Dress is discussed as a marker of gender, ethnicity, status and social role – in the context of a pagan burial, dress for holy orders, bequests of clothing, commissioning a kingly wardrobe, and much else… (Pub note) 12 b/w, 13 color plates, 140 b/w drawings, glossary of clothing terms, possible cutting plan for 11th century gown. HC, 408 pp, extensive biblio & index. Boydell & Brewer

Vikings

Costume Section:

Northern European Women’s Garb - $5.00
Christina Krupp & Carolyn Priest-Dorman. Covers women’s garb in Northern Europe 450-1000 CE, focusing on Frisians, Angles, Franks, Balts, Vikings, & Finns. Although brief, this remains an excellent, basic source. 71pp, pamphlet. SCA.

Woven Into the Earth: Textile Finds in Norse Greenland - $49.95
Else, Ostergaard. The book offers an account of the 1921 find of textiles in Herjolfsnaes, Greenland. The garments had been used as swaddling to wrap around corpses. Woven into the Earth recounts the dramatic story of Norlund's excavation in the context of other Norse textile finds in Greenland. It then describes what the finds tell us about the materials and methods used in making the clothes. The weaving and sewing techniques detailed here are surprisingly sophisticated, and one can only admire the talent of the women who employed them, especially considering the harsh conditions they worked under. The weather conditions preserved the textiles extremely well, & the result was a spectacular find, and amazing insights into sewing & weaving techniques as well as the materials used in the garments’ manufacture. Heavily illustrated in color & b/w. HC, index, biblio,

Viking Clothing- $37.50

            Thor Ewing. This accessible new book is the first to tackle the question of what the Vikings wore, drawing on evidence from art, archeology, literature, & linguistics to arrive at a fresh understanding of the nature of Viking clothing. Includes an overview of textiles & dyeing, an exploration of cloth production & clothing in the context of the society as a whole. Includes a detailed consideration of male & female outfits & a new interpretation of the suspended dress. Biblio, index, numerous b/w photos, diagrams, patterns, & contemporary drawings, 14 color photos. Tr Pb, 192pp. Tempus


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