Books by David Woodman

David Woodman, The First King of England: Aethelstan and the Birth of a Kingdom .  An excellent work.  One of the best books on early English history, and also one of the best books on how the Dark Ages morphed into early Medieval times.  Usually I find treatments in both areas difficult to follow, but this one produces a coherent and also non-exaggerated narrative.  It also will make you want to visit Northumbria.