{"product_id":"athelstan-9780141987330","title":"Athelstan","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe formation of England happened against the odds--the division of the country into rival kingdoms, the assaults of the Vikings, the precarious position of the island on the edge of the known world. But King Alfred ensured the survival of Wessex, his son Eadweard expanded it, and his grandson  thelstan finally united Mercia and Wessex, conquered Northumbria and became \u003ci\u003eRex totius Britanniae\u003c\/i\u003e. Tom Holland recounts this extraordinarily exciting story with relish and drama. We meet the great figures of the age, including Alfred and his daughter  thelfl d, 'Lady of the Mercians', who brought  thelstan up at the Mercian court. At the end of the book we understand the often confusing history of the Anglo-Saxon kings better than ever before.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTom Holland\u003c\/b\u003e is the best-selling author of \u003ci\u003eRubicon\u003c\/i\u003e, which won the Hessell-Tiltman Prize for History and was shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize, \u003ci\u003ePersian Fire\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eMillennium\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eIn the Shadow of the Sword\u003c\/i\u003e and, most recently, \u003ci\u003eDynasty\u003c\/i\u003e. His translation of Herodotus' \u003ci\u003eHistories\u003c\/i\u003e was published by Penguin Classics in 2013.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Penguin Group","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50526849270034,"sku":"9780141987330","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_de6a7cb1-8c57-43ac-9c00-06007b8fcb64.jpg?v=1731284501","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/athelstan-9780141987330","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}