Wayland's Work: Anglo-Saxon Art, Myth and Material Culture from the 4th to 7th Century

This large, impressively produced book offers a comprehensive overview of Anglo-Saxon decorative arts in the pre-Christian era. The authors discuss the origins of the various styles, and there is a detailed section setting out production techniques, materials, and the role and social status of craftsmen. There then follows the meat of the book, a well illustrated survey/typology of artefact types with notes on their decoration. A correspondingly full chapter sets out the latest thinking on iconography, looking motif by motif at their meaning, as well as the more general symbolism of decorative styles.