In the days of Alfred the Great

by Eva March Tappan

Sharing in the special interest in Alfred the Great that is aroused by the near approach of the one thousandth anniversary of the last year of his life, I have found it a real pleasure to write this story of a “blameless king.” However faulty it may be, it is, at least, the result of a thoughtful study of his character, and an earnest effort to be as accurate as the scantiness of material and the thousand years’ interval would permit. Little of the legendary, less of the miraculous, has obscured the fame of the real Alfred. His deeds are his own, — great in themselves, greater in that they are the manifestation of the thought of a great mind. Even in “ that fierce light which beats upon a throne,” it is hard to find a flaw in the character of this man who believed in God, this king who never failed to do his best.

311 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2013

About the author

Eva March Tappan was a teacher and American author born in Blackstone, Massachusetts, the only child of Reverend Edmund March Tappan and Lucretia Logée. Eva graduated from Vassar College in 1875. She was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and an editor of the Vassar Miscellany. After leaving Vassar she began teaching at Wheaton College where she taught Latin and German from 1875 until 1880. From 1884–94 she was the Associate Principal at the Raymond Academy in Camden, New Jersey. She received graduate degrees in English Literature from the University of Pennsylvania. Tappan was the head of the English department at the English High School at Worcester, Massachusetts. She began her literary career writing about famous characters in history and developed an interest in writing children books. Tappan never married.

Reviews

[Malory · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pre-read this for my 6th grader. It's a good biography that quickly goes over the life of Alfred the Great. This is a good introduction to a man who did a lot of great things for Britain. And talks about the fighting between the Danes and the Anglo-Saxon people. It only makes me want to read more about Alfred the Great!

[Daniella Chuidian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!