Michael Pye has written eleven previous books, translated into eleven languages, including two British bestsellers and two New York Times 'Notable Books of the Year'. He took a First and various prizes in Modern History at Oxford, and was then for many years a highly successful journalist, columnist and broadcaster in London and New York. He now lives between London and rural Portugal.
It's fascinating to understand [these] historical trends and
ideas
*Jeremy Corbyn*
An utterly beguiling journey into the dark ages of the north sea. A
complete revelation . . . Pye writes like a dream. Magnificent
*Jerry Brotton, author of 'A History of the World in Twelve
Maps'*
A closely-researched and fascinating characterisation of the
richness of life and the underestimated interconnections of the
peoples all around the medieval and early modern North Sea. A real
page-turner
*Chris Wickham, author of 'The Inheritance of Rome: A History of
Europe from 400 to 1000'*
Elegant writing and extraordinary scholarship . . . Miraculous
*Hugh Aldersey-Williams, author of 'Periodic Tales' and
'Anatomies'*
Splendid. A heady mix of social, economic, and intellectual
history, written in an engaging style. It offers a counterpoint to
the many studies of the Mediterranean, arguing for the importance
of the North Sea. Exciting, fun, and informative
*Michael Prestwich, Professor of History, Durham University*
Brilliant. Pye is a wonderful historian . . . bringing history to
life like no one else. Who knew that the Irish invented
punctuation?
*Terry Jones*
A masterly storyteller
*Vogue*
Pye has a great journalist's eye for a story and the telling
anecdote as well as a great historian's ability to place it in the
bigger picture. Here he fuses those talents in a hugely eclectic
study of the very first stirrings of modernity in northern
Europe
*Alexander McCall Smith*
Pye draws on a dizzying array of documentary and archaeological
scholarship, which he works together in surprising ways . . . He
advances on several fronts at once, following the overlapping
currents of customary, religious and empirical ways of thinking. He
writes about difficult concepts with vivid details and stories,
often jump-cutting from exposition to drama like a film. It's
complicated, but fun
*Economist*
Hugely enjoyable. it is the measure of Pye's achievement that he
can breathe life into the traders of seventh-century Frisia or the
beguines of late-medieval Flanders as well as into his more
celebrated subjects . . . Grey the waters of the North Sea may be;
but Pye has successfully dyed them with a multitude of rich
colours
*Guardian*
A dazzling historical adventure
*Daily Telegraph*
An extraordinary book . . . Pye makes astonishing discoveries.
Brevity is the bane of the reviewer; the best books are impossible
to summarise in just 900 words. That's especially true with a
treasure chest like this one . . . The end result is brilliantly
illuminating. Pye's creativity brings light to this once dark
time
*The Times*
A multi-layered book that demands time to read and be digested but
rewards by giving one plenty to chew on
*Observer*
Excellent. The Edge of the World does what good non-fiction should,
in making the reader see the world in a different light
*Scotland on Sunday*
An inspiring book, full of surprises . . . this is the kind of book
that can open up new vistas. It might just rekindle a sense that
Britain really is a North Sea nation and not just a rootless
post-Imperium searching for a niche in the global emporium
*Independent*
Bristling, wide-ranging and big-themed ... Pye's view of the North
Sea and European history succeeds in reorienting our thinking about
the past
*New York Times Book Review*
A joy to read and reread. Pye challenges all our notions of the
Dark Ages and shows the vast accomplishments completed long before
the Renaissance. This book must be ranked right up there with the
works of Mark Kurlansky and Thomas Cahill as a primer of the steps
that led to modern civilization
*Kirkus, starred review*
An eye-opening reexamination of of Europe during the Dark Ages, and
delightfully accessible. Pye's style is leisurely yet
authoritative, scholarly but engaging; his approach resembles that
of a docent leading a group through a vast museum, with each
section devoted to a different aspect of society
*Publishers Weekly*
Refreshing. Pye excels at painting a unique portrait of the
political, economic, and cultural transformation that has occurred
on the shores of the North Sea. His frequent use of primary sources
as well as fictional literary works gives the work an ethereal
nature
*Library Journal*
Wonderful - well researched and beautifully written; he weaves in
glorious anecdotes that show the Viking world as it should be
seen
*Dr Peter Frankopan, Director, The Oxford Centre for Byzantine
Research*
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