Bede's Ecclesiastical History is the main source for early medieval English history; without it there would be little to say about English history in the period. In "Re-Reading Bede, " N.J. Hingham offers a fresh reading of Bede's history, looking at its internal construction, its political, social and cultural values and what light it throws on the history of the period, especially in the heroes it presents and the conversion of England to Christianity.

N.J. Higham is Professor of Early Medieval and Landscape History at the University of Manchester. His publications include King Arthur: Myth-Making and History (Routledge, 2002) and the edited collection Edward the Elder (Routledge, 2001).

1. (Re-) Reading Bede: An Author and his Audience 2. The Ecclesiastical History: Bede's Purposes and Ours 3. Structure, Organisation and Context 4. Message and Discourse 5. From Text to Context: Ceolwulf and the Ecclesiastical History. Editions and Translations of the Works of Bede