Alan Sorrell Part III 'Saxon England'

   I had made plans to write this post a few weeks ago, but my attention was diverted by clearing out my late Aunt's flat - an deeply emotional experience that is still sending out it's little ripples of sadness.
   So here, somewhat delayed, is the third in my occasional series on the work of the artist and illustrator Alan Sorrell.  This is an book in the series he illustrated for the Lutterworth Press.  His collaborator this time was the archaeologist John Hamilton.  The cover is certainly brighter than the one he drew for 'Roman Britain'.  There is something in the quality of both colour and drawing that reminds me of the work of Pauline Baynes (1922-2008) - the illustrator of, amongst other things, 'The Chronicles of Narnia' published by Geoffrey Bles.)  The most Neo-Romantic illustration is that of a Celtic monastery, a composition that seems to echo a lithograph by John Piper.  That brings me briefly on to the slightly unsuitable title, perhaps 'Dark Age Britain' would have been more appropriate for a book that covers all of these isles.