Rory Naismith has published extensively on early medieval history, including Money and Power in Anglo-Saxon England: the Southern English Kingdoms 757–865 (2012), Medieval European Coinage 8: Britain and Ireland c. 400–1066 (2017) and Citadel of the Saxons: the Rise of Early London (2018).

• Preface and Acknowledgements; List of Source Boxes; List of Methods and Analysis Boxes; List of Illustrations; List of Maps; 1. Introduction; Part I. Conceiving Early Medieval Britain: 2. An Island in the Ocean: The Idea of Britain; 3. On the Edge of the World: Britain and Europe; 4. Legend, Myth and History; 5. Migrations and Peoples; 6. Fragments of the Past; Part II. Making Early Medieval Britain: 7. Britain c. 500; 8. 'Fertile of Tyrants': Britain 500–650; 9. 'What the Outcome Will Be, a Future Age Will See': Britain 650–850; 10. 'God Help Us!': Britain 850–1000; Part III. Living in Early Medieval Britain: 11. Kingship in Action; 12. Building a Christian Society; 13. Maintaining Belief: The Church as an Institution; 14. Family, Friend, Lord, Slave: The Basis of Society; 15. Land, People and Settlement; 16. Getting and Giving: Acts and Settings of Exchange; 17. Language and Communication; 18. 'As Far as the Cold Waves Reach': Conclusion; Glossary; Index.

'Rory Naismith adopts a refreshingly new approach to the study of early medieval Britain, which takes into account its political and cultural plurality, while also placing it in a wider European context. Comprehensive, accessible and up-to-date with the most recent historiographical developments, it will easily become a classic.' Francesca Tinti, University of the Basque Country