The Bayeux Tapestry: The Norman Conquest 1066

by Norman Denny, Josephine Filmer-Sankey

Describes the events of the Norman Conquest of England in 1066 as recorded in the Bayeux Tapestry

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Medieval History, Reference, School, Childrens, Art

72 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1966

About the author

Norman George DENNY

Reviews

[Manybooks · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, the topic of Norman Denny and Josephine Filmer-Sankey's 1966 Carnegie Medal nominee non-fiction tome The Bayeux Tapestry: The Story of the Norman Conquest, 1066 (from a year where there was in fact no children's book deemed worthy of being awarded the actual medal) certainly was very much of sufficient reading interest to and for me to look for and then to peruse The Bayeux Tapestry: The Story of the Norman Conquest on Open Library. For indeed, ever since grade nine, when we covered British history in Social Studies, I have adored British history and I actually also saw the Bayeux Tapestry in person when I visited Northern France with my aunt in the early 1990s (so yes, I was certainly textually intrigued by The Bayeux Tapestry: The Story of the Norman Conquest, 1066). However, after now having read The Bayeux Tapestry: The Story of the Norman Conquest, 1066 I do have to say that for the most part, my reading experience (for both my adult self and also for my inner child) has been one of textual disappointment and pretty major tedium (and so much so that I am actually really quite happy that I did not encounter The Bayeux Tapestry: The Story of the Norman Conquest when I was a younger reader, when I was the intended audience, because honestly and in my humble opinion, the way that the co-authors, they way that Norman Denny and Josephine Filmer-Sankey have penned their text might easily have turned me off of British history altogether).

Because truly and sadly, and although Denny and Filmer-Sankey's introduction for The Bayeux Tapestry: The Story of the Norman Conquest, 1066 is delightfully concise, interesting and also very much readable (regarding the tapestry's general history, including mentioning that the Bayeux Tapestry is a piece of elaborate needlepoint embroidery and not in fact a woven piece of fabric, how and why it was made and equally for whom and that it is a detailed visual, almost comic book like pictorial account of the 1066 CE Battle of Hastings), the main textual body and how Dennis Penny and Josephine Filmer-Sankey do a detailed and intensive textual (frame by frame) analysis of every single part of of the Bayeux Tapestry, sorry, but I personally do find this horribly mindnumpingly boring, and so much so that it is even a bit rendering the Battle of Hastings, the reasons behind the Norman Conquest of England similarly draggingly tedious.

And although I certainly do appreciate the introduction for The Bayeux Tapestry: The Story of the Norman Conquest, 1066 and find it a true reading pleasure and of much historical interest for me, I have to admit that the only part of the authors' actual analysis of the Bayeux Tapestry that I have in any manner found to my tastes and not pedantic and annoyingly frustratingly tedious are the actual pictures of the tapestry, and that for me, the main text of The Bayeux Tapestry: The Story of the Norman Conquest, 1066 has left pretty much everything to be desired (and that my rating for The Bayeux Tapestry: The Story of the Norman Conquest can and will thus only be two stars, as Norman Denny and Josephine Filmer-Sankey's wonderful introduction does of course not really mitigate the tediousness of their Bayeux Tapestry analysis and that there is also no included list for suggestions for further reading to be found in The Bayeux Tapestry: The Story of the Norman Conquest, 1066).

[Amy W · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think I'm actually more confused about the Norman Conquest having read this than I was before ><

Half the time I couldn't see in the picture what the text was describing. Here is Harold on his horse... they're all on bloody horses, which one's he?!

The bit of background was good, such as when and how the tapestry itself was produced. And the fact that it is, shock horror, not actually a tapestry at all but a piece of embroidery. (A tapestry is produced on a loom and not by hand.)

I could vaguely follow what was happening in the story, but it was a bit tricky. I think in an effort to provide a bitesized account it actually made things more confusing as it didn't feel like I was getting the full picture.

Overall a bit of a miss and hopefully a more recent book might do a better job?

[R. G. Nairam · Rating 2 out of 5]

-possible curriculum book

Either some of the interpretations are a little outdated, or it just doesn't match up with other scholarly sources I've seen on interpretations. It's a good intro, decent reproduction, I found it a little confusing to read at times.

It's possibly a good book for a younger audience, because it omits the part with the cleric, though other naked border illustrations are left in.

It's fair.

[C-shaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

I know absolutely nothing about the Norman Conquest! This little book about a 1066 embroidered tapestry depicting such was loaned to me by my sister. I'm enjoying it very much, not only because I have come to love history in my old age, but also because I have an interest in embroidery and needle arts.

[Gretchen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an overview of the story told on the tapestry. It goes panel by panel and explains the people and events and explains why the battle took place.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

In 1966, in honor of the 900 years anniversary after the Norman Conquest of England, Norman Denny and Josephine Filmer-Sankey wrote the picture book, The Bayeux Tapestry: The Norman Conquest 1066. This version of the book is the reprinting from 1985. Denny and Filmer-Sankey also worked an English language translation of a travel memoir by a French-speaking knight of the 14th Century together, known in English as The Travels of John Mandeville. The book, The Bayeux Tapestry is supposed to show the reader the story of the Norman Conquest of England as told by the needlework embroidery known in English as the Bayeux Tapestry. Denny and Filmer-Sankey write that despite its name the Bayeux Tapestry is not a Tapestry because it was not made on a loom, like a Tapestry is supposed to be made, but by Embroidery. The book omits the scene between a noblewoman named Aelfgyva and a clerk dressed as a monk because the scene does not seem to have much to do with the story of the Bayeux Tapestry. The book also shows most of the odd details of the side pictures of the Bayeux Tapestry, such as the picture of bear-baiting in the margins. The book is a little old, I am sure there has been newer research since then, but I feel the book fulfills what Denny and Filmer-Sankey set out to do, which was to show the medieval ‘mind-set’ through the Bayeux Tapestry.

[Ninja · Rating 3 out of 5]

An 8-colour embroidery-on-linen depicting the Norman conquest of England and the Battle of Hastings in 1066, created a couple of years afterward at the order of Bishop Odo in Normandy. After an introduction on the Tapestry and its history, the pages sequentially break down the 70 metres scene by scene. Sections generally give a brief statement of what and who we're looking at, and then a more elaborate chunk of context (since sometimes the Tapestry may differ from other accounts, and it is obviously done from the depiction of the Norman winners).
Bonus, the top of the Tapestry often has latin descriptions of the scenes and people, which at times is semi-readable: edvvard rex (king Edward) and vvillelm dvcis (duke william) and mare navigavit (sail the sea). Alas the book doesn't mention that it's Latin, nor translate it.

[Jennifer S · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this in preparation for seeing the Tapestry (which is actually NOT a tapestry, I learned, but an embroidery!) next month. Nice depiction of the story, panel by panel, with some additional detail in slightly smaller font. Simplified for a young-ish audience.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book follows the tapestry from beginning to end pictorially, with an overview of the story and how it was portrayed. It would help make a visit to the original much more meaningful.

[Christy Gould · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cool book to go along with studying William the Conqueror!

[Lynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is mostly aimed at children but I found it an interesting and well-illustrated documentary of the making of the Bayeux Tapestry and what the individual panels convey. My husband and I were fortunate to see this tapestry for ourselves while visiting France during the winter. The crowds were gone and we had the leisure to spend all the time we wanted viewing the amazing tapestry. Later, I found this book at a friend's library store and enjoyed reading it.

[Pete daPixie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Each page is a section of the tapestry, with none too deep explanations of what is being put across. This natty Norman needlework is in fact English, it's just the blatant lies that are Norman.
Nice place though, Bayeux, and the tapestry well worth a visit.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Panel by panel explication of what is essentially, as Denny says, "a strip-cartoon, one of the earliest and certainly the greatest that is known to us." As it turns out, the famous Arrow-in-Harold's-Eye story is probably not true.

[Naomi Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was put together very well. People of many ages could read this and enjoy it.

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the emphasis on the art of the tapestry with just a minimal explanation.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the format of this book. Larger font for the general story line, smaller font for the details.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent description and explanation of the Bayeaux Tapestry. Very interesting and historical.