Tom Holland’s Beowulf

Beowulf endures as one of the most powerful expressions of myth, memory, and mortal reckoning-a poem forged in a twilight world where monsters stalk the moors and glory is won at the edge of a sword. In this unique volume, acclaimed historianTom Holland takes up the poem with his pen at the ready.

Holland's handwritten annotations-witty, insightful, and viciously funny-are reproduced here in exact facsimile. They range from editorial glosses and contextual asides to impassioned arguments, startled questions and moments of personal revelation. What emerges is a vivid encounter between past and present, literature and reader. Beyond merely an edition of Beowulf, this is a live record of what it feels like to read-closely, critically, and with wonder.