"The vivid scenes on the Bayeux Tapestry depict the events leading up to the ABattle of Hasting sin 1066. It is one of Eruope's greatest treasures and its own story is full of drama and surprise. Who commissioned the tapestry? Was it Bishop Odo, William's ruthless half-brother? Or Harold's dynamic sister Edith, juggling for a place in the new court? Hicks shows us this world and the miracle of the tapestry's making- the stitches, dyes and strange details in the margins. For centuries it lay ignored in Bayeux catherdral until it's 'discovery' in the eighteenth centry. It became a symbol of power as well as art- townsfolk saved it during the French Revolution; Napoleon displayed it to promote his own conquest; the Nazis strove to make it their own; and its influence endures today. his marvellous book, packed with thrilling stories, shows how we remake history in every age and how a great work of art has a life of its own."