The Deorhord: An Old English Bestiary

Endlessly fascinating * Spectator *
A dream! I learnt something new and fascinating on every page -- Lucy Mangan
Wonderful -- Victoria Finlay, author * Colour *
If you love words, the weird and the wild, I guarantee you'll crouch over this book like a dragon over gold -- Meg Clothier
A treasure trove. -- Caspar Henderson, author * The Book of Barely Imagined Beings *
Will set hearts fizzing with joy. -- John Wright, author * The Forager's Calendar *
A beautifully written reminder of the magical and the mystical -- Rebecca Lee, author * How Words Get Good *
A treasure trove that the lexicographer Susie Dent might be tempted to plunder * Country Life *
An invaluable - and hugely entertaining - insight into the medieval imagination. The Deorhord illuminates the ways that language influences how animals have been conceptualised and discussed, and introduces a bit of magic to our own world by association. It is an absolute romp and a must-have for history and fantasy enthusiasts alike. -- Eleanor Janega, author * The Once and Future Sex *
A wonderful way into Old English, opening windows on a lost world that shaped ours and still lives within it. -- Ronald Wright, author * A Short History of Progress *
Praise for The Wordhord : A marvelous book -- Neil Gaiman
Wonderful -- Tom Holland
A lovely, lovely read -- Lucy Mangan
Splendid -- David Crystal
Eminently giftable -- James Marriott * The Times *
Entertaining and absolutely fascinating -- Paul Anthony Jones
Delightful ... a classy gift to the commonly word-drunk -- Steven Poole * Guardian *
A passionate medievalist and a relaxed, lucid writer; the pleasure she takes in her subject is infectious -- Henry Hitchings * Wall Street Journal *
A treasure trove ... and beautifully designed -- Marshall Julius
A lively linguistic history * BBC History Magazine *