Beowulf: A Ladybird Expert Book (26)

Ladybird Expert #29

by Janina Ramírez

Part of the new Ladybird Expert series, Beowulf is an accessible, authoritative, and entertaining introduction to the Anglo-Saxon epic. Written by the leading lights and most outstanding communicators in their fields, the Ladybird Expert books provide clear, accessible and authoritative introductions to subjects drawn from science, history and culture. For an adult readership, the Ladybird Expert series is produced in the same iconic small hardback format pioneered by the original Ladybirds. Each beautifully illustrated book features the first new illustrations produced in the original Ladybird style for nearly forty years.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Classics, Medieval, Literature

56 pages, Hardcover

Published November 1, 2019

About the author

Janina Sara María Ramírez (née Maleczek; 7 July 1980), sometimes credited as Nina Ramírez, is a British art and cultural historian and TV presenter, based in Woodstock, Oxfordshire. She specialises in interpreting symbols and examining works of art, within their own historical context.

Ramírez went to school in Slough. She gained a degree in English literature, specialising in Old and Middle English, from St Anne's College, Oxford, before completing her postgraduate studies at the Centre for Medieval Studies, University of York. She completed an art/literature PhD on the symbolism of birds, which led to a lectureship in York's Art History Department, followed by lecturing posts at the University of Winchester, University of Warwick, and University of Oxford.

Ramírez is currently the course director on the Certificate in History of Art at Oxford University's Department for Continuing Education.

Reviews

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's hard to rate a non-fiction book but it was a good overview of the language, history, archaeological support and adaptations of Beowulf. It had some interesting insights into the poem and was a decent quick read.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite interesting - think I'll dig out the 2007 adaptation

Great end:
To read Beowulf is to touch the world of our ancient ancestors, to try to understand where England
came from, and to discover a period in history that formed our nation, our identity and the next centuries of our history. It is the starting point for understanding ourselves. It’s our epic.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Þæt wæs god gediht!
Really interesting to have alongside my Beowulf translation (the notes in that are so academic that in places they loose me). The Ladybird format made it feel like a book from my childhood, and the illustrations are spot on. I will be refering back to Dr Ramirez's book often.

[Rae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Epic poetry. Background information. Great illustrations. Short. Ladybird Expert series.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this Ladybird Expert book Ramirez looks at the epic poem, the times it was written in and the legacy it has left. It's a great introduction to Beowulf and the illustrations are marvellous.