The Bayeux Tapestry, a major monument of medieval art and history, is an embroidered linen panel 70 meters long which portrays the events of the Norman conquest of England, culminating in the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The bulk of this new publication consists of a series of excellent color photographs of the entire tapestry, taken when it was re-hung in 1983. Wilson's text is largely a summary of the voluminous scholarship that has focused on various aspects of the tapestry over the years, but it is dry, oddly organized, and difficult to understand unless one is familiar with the period and the issues being summarized. However, high school students and general readers may be attracted simply by the illustrations, while those with more scholarly interests will be better able to follow the text. Kathryn W. Finkelstein, formerly with Georgia Inst. of Technology Lib., Atlanta
Copyright 1985 Reed Business Information, Inc.