Historia Anglorum. The History of the English from AC 55 to AD 1154: In Eight Books

Henry of Huntingdon (c.1088-c.1157) wrote his comprehensive Latin chronicle of English history at the behest of the bishop of Lincoln, who asked him to provide a narrative from the earliest English kings right up to their own day. Henry's fondness for anecdotes - including the story of King Cnut attempting to hold back the tide - adds charm to his account. Although the work was originally completed by 1130, Henry continued to add to his magnum opus for many years, producing a version that concluded with the death of King Stephen and the accession of Henry II in 1154. This is the version edited for the Rolls Series in 1879 by Thomas Arnold (1823-1900), whose scholarly introduction describes the various different versions of the text, lists the extant manuscripts, and surveys Henry's sources. The text is accompanied by side-notes in English as well as appendices, a glossary and an index.