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Rating: 
Summary: very good
Review: I used this book for a school project and found it very useful. I reccomend it
Rating: 
Summary: What an interesting book!
Review: This book is really wonderful: very interesting and informative. The books format, about half explanatory text and interesting sidebars and half a reproduction of the tapestry itself is great. The writing is clear and fluid, drawing you into the mystery of this era and its decisive battle. An adult will love the essays, and a child will enjoy the pictures. Overall, I recommend this book to anyone with an interest in timeless stories.
Rating:
Summary: What an interesting book!
Review: This book is really wonderful: very interesting and informative. The books format, about half explanatory text and interesting sidebars and half a reproduction of the tapestry itself is great. The writing is clear and fluid, drawing you into the mystery of this era and its decisive battle. An adult will love the essays, and a child will enjoy the pictures. Overall, I recommend this book to anyone with an interest in timeless stories.
Rating:
Summary: The Carpet that wasn't really a carpet
Review: This visually stunning 11th century tapestry is not a tapestry (in the literal sense). It is embroidered color wool on a linen background, rather than a hanging carpet. The entire tapestry is presented in color in this book - broken into frames with descriptions of the scenes. Art historians believe that it was commissioned by William the Conqueror's half brother, Odo, Bishop of Bayeux. After being laid over a cartload of ammunition during the French Revolution, a young lawyer recovered it and stored it in his attic for 30 years. It was restored to Bishop of Bayeux (of the day) and hung in the palace. The Nazis took it to Paris to study it. Otherwise, it has remained in the palace. The tapestry depicts the Norman Conquest on 1066. It is the Norman's point of view, so it is biased. For example, William is embroidered larger than Harold to illustrate his supremacy. The details are like nothing ever seen. The border is full of fantastic bestiary and the bloody scenes, costumes, construction of castles and ships give a sense of the time period. Try '1066: The Year of the Conquest'. It's a short, concise account of the war that made a foreigner the king of England.
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