The paperback version of The Carmen and the Conquestis now available worldwide. It's a good feeling to handle a physical book still, even if the words are the same as the ebook version. Somehow paging through a book allows me to take in information differently, and retain it more effectively, and I suspect I am not alone in this.
And it looks good. The cover now features a map of the region where I believe the Carmen says the action all took place, with the Saxon red dragon pennant marking where King Harold's forces might have gathered and the Norman banner marking where the Norman camp is suggested.
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Now begins the marketing phase in my career as Guy d'Amiens' 21st century translator. I've got postcards with the cover printed on them and a description of the book on the reverse. The first batch will go out today to bookshops concentrated around the Hastings area, parts of London, and university bookshops. It will be interesting to see what sort of response is generated.
I showed the book to someone over the weekend who lives near Hastings. He immediately grasped the import of the map, and agreed that the Normans would have chosen a sensible estuarine port for the landing. When I explained about the Fecamp Abbey interest in the region, he agreed that the Brede Valley was most eligible, although he has always had a local partiality for Cuckmere as a possibility. Given how heavily laden the Norman boats must have been with men, horses, weaponry and supplies, I can't see Duke William being keen to extend his journey by almost double the distance - and almost all of that at sea in the chops of the Channel with treacherous bars, reefs and coastal currents.
The conversation reminded me that almost everyone on the south coast of England will have fixed views on the Norman Conquest, and few will readily accept new insights or even facts that conflict with cherished biases. All I can expect is to open a conversation, revealing a new understanding of the Carmen's text, and see where it leads.
And it looks good. The cover now features a map of the region where I believe the Carmen says the action all took place, with the Saxon red dragon pennant marking where King Harold's forces might have gathered and the Norman banner marking where the Norman camp is suggested.
Now begins the marketing phase in my career as Guy d'Amiens' 21st century translator. I've got postcards with the cover printed on them and a description of the book on the reverse. The first batch will go out today to bookshops concentrated around the Hastings area, parts of London, and university bookshops. It will be interesting to see what sort of response is generated.
I showed the book to someone over the weekend who lives near Hastings. He immediately grasped the import of the map, and agreed that the Normans would have chosen a sensible estuarine port for the landing. When I explained about the Fecamp Abbey interest in the region, he agreed that the Brede Valley was most eligible, although he has always had a local partiality for Cuckmere as a possibility. Given how heavily laden the Norman boats must have been with men, horses, weaponry and supplies, I can't see Duke William being keen to extend his journey by almost double the distance - and almost all of that at sea in the chops of the Channel with treacherous bars, reefs and coastal currents.
The conversation reminded me that almost everyone on the south coast of England will have fixed views on the Norman Conquest, and few will readily accept new insights or even facts that conflict with cherished biases. All I can expect is to open a conversation, revealing a new understanding of the Carmen's text, and see where it leads.