Lewis Thorpe and William of Poitiers. The Bayeux Tapestry and the Norman Invasion. Folio Society, 1973.

Readers familiar with the Folio Society understand that it publishes some original works but mostly classics in elegant editions. The Bayeux Tapestry and the Norman Invasion is an original with a classic included.

Lewis Thorpe gives us some historical background to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066 followed by his translation of what is probably the earliest written account of the invasion by William of Poitiers from the Gesta Guillelmi Ducis Normannorum et Regis Anglorum (The History of William, Duke of the Normans and King of the English). The original was probably written in 1073 or 1074.

This is followed by a brief description of the Bayeux Tapestry, which gives us a clue to what to look for in this famous and unique work of art. Nearly half the book is pictures, namely pictures showing the complete 230-foot (70 meter) embroidered work. The pictures are carefully and clearly done with English translations of the Latin as captions.

This is a special edition. We get a basic history of the events leading up to the invasion and a description of the military maneuvers. There was no printing press in 1066, so we do not have details that such an invasion might have produced in our time. This covers the circumstances pretty well for what we do know. And, indeed, we would know less if it had not been for the famous embroidery that illustrates the story.

Of course, the Folio Society always has first class paper and binding. Unlike many of their products, however, this did not come with a slipcase.

The Tapestry was probably produced before 1078. While clearly siding with the Normans (as does William of Poitiers), it presents a fairly straightforward narrative. Thorpe notes in his introduction that later writers tended to embellish details concerning the Norman Conquest and the Battle of Hastings. For example, later writers would say that King Harold first was shot in the eye by an arrow. After fighting bravely for a long time, he was eventually killed and his body cut into pieces. Neither William of Poitiers nor the Tapestry indicate anything like that happening.

For a straightforward account of the Battle of Hastings and access to images from the entire Bayeux Tapestry, this is the place to go. In its August 1966 900th anniversary of the Battle issue, National Geographic does also have beautifully assembled photographs of the entire Tapestry, but here is the most reliable primary source and more background to this famous work of art and epoch-changing conquest.