"An ambitious work, densely detailed and covering a diverse range of subjects--but that is not to suggest that the book is heavy going: Higham writes with a brisk confidence and clarity, and he has a particular knack for summarising how interpretative trajectories have evolved over time."--Current Archaeology

"Higham . . . reminds readers that Rome conquered Britain in the first century and abandoned it in the fifth but always considered it a land at the edge of the world inhabited by barbarians."--Kirkus Reviews

"Higham's magisterial account is elegantly written, wide ranging, deeply researched and full of fresh answers. His depth of critical analysis and dextrous marshalling of archaeological finds and their significance gives us a much clearer insight into the shadowy world of Anglo-Saxon Britain."--Timothy Mowl, Country Life

"With a combination of lucidity and originality, Nick Higham's account of how England began guides the reader confidently through the murky transition from Roman Britain to early Anglo-Saxon England. Thanks to Higham's elegant prose and command of diverse sources, the result is an impressive, instructive journey that poses fresh answers as well as fresh questions."--Rory Naismith, author of Offa

"A timely and well-balanced consideration from a leading expert in both the written and archaeological sources of how the recent scientific and archaeological evidence for fifth- and sixth-century England sits alongside previous interpretations of the period."--Barbara Yorke, author of The Conversion of Britain

"Drawing on the most recent archaeological and historical research, Nicholas Higham provides a masterful account of one of the most obscure and complex periods of British history."--David Woodman, author of The First King of England