Beowulf: An Illustrated Edition
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Book Reviews of Beowulf: An Illustrated Edition
Book Review: Beowulf on steroids!
Summary: 5 Stars
I have previously commented favorably on the excellence of Seamus Heaney's translation of this classic Old English poem as originally published in a bilingual edition (presenting Heaney's translation on pages alternating with the Anglo-Saxon original).
Remarkably, the present edition is an improvement on the original. The Old English text has been replaced with a vast number of superb illustrations, mostly photographs of artifacts representing life in world of Beowulf and photographs of reconstructed Iron Age boats and buildings. These illustrations superbly illuminate Heaney's words, making the tale even more vivid and comprehensible. They are beautiful in their own right, and wonderfully complement Heaney's words. The volume also contains several chapters of excellent commentary upon these illustrations.
I have never seen a version of "Beowulf" better suited for the intelligent general reader. If you don't already own the original bilingual edition, this new version belongs on your bookshelf. In fact, it deserves a place even if you own the earlier edition.
Book Review: The definitive Beowulf.
Summary: 5 Stars
I had never heard of Seamus Heaney before I found this book, but he has created the definitive edition of Beowulf to which all other translations will forever be compared. I have read several translations of Beowulf, and Heaney's is by far the best (at least from the perspective of the layman). He writes in verse that reads as simply and naturally as prose. He uses versions of names that are easily pronounced and have obvious meanings for modern English speakers while retaining the foreign feel of the old language.
This book is a real treat to read out loud. Use your manliest voice to read Beowulf's words where he boasts of his deeds and his mission. It's fun, and it will bug your girlfriend. When I have kids I want to read this to them as a bedtime story.
Add the quality binding, tons is illustrations, and explanatory notes; and you have the most engrossing publication of Beowulf that I have ever seen.
Book Review: Beowulf, with Pictures
Summary: 5 Stars
Seamus Heaney's modern English translation of Beowulf won the UK's Whitbread Book Award (now called the Costa Book Award) for Book of the Year in 1999, and came out in paperback in the US a couple of years later. Now it comes with illustrations on the even-numbered pages instead of the original Old English text. John D. Niles has selected over 100 photos of archeological finds and landscapes appropriate to the text. Some helmets, rings, swords, etc., from the first millenium have survived in burial mounds in Sweden and Denmark, and are shown. The pictures help illuminate the poem, making it easier to imagine what the characters were wearing and where they were going. I read this book for pleasure, never having been exposed to it in school; I wish the classics had been presented to me in as interesting a fashion as this. Highly recommended for those who have not purchased the earlier, non-illustrated version.Book Review: Even for those who have the Heaney translation already
Summary: 5 Stars
There are at least four editions of Seamus Heaney's translation of Beowulf, and they're all worth owning. The audio version is read beautifully and dramatically by the author himself (although, unfortunately, it's abridged). The original published version has both the translation and the Old English text. The Norton Critical Edition includes a wealth of essays, critical literature, and background information. And the new Norton Illustrated Edition brings the poem to fuller life through a wonderful selection of images of artifacts, reconstructions, and landscapes related to the text on the facing pages. For those who would like to know what the world of Beowulf and the world of the Beowulf poet really looked like, this is the place to go.Book Review: Reading My Father's Favorite Saga
Summary: 5 Stars
This was my Father's favorite book. I had read it once years ago and thought I would probably never read it again. But, it became a need due to some period research. I chose this edition because of the included pictures, which would also aid in my research. I am very pleased with the readability and flow of this translation. The pictorial offerings were relevant and well executed. I enjoyed my time reading this and am glad to own it.