This book is aimed at the serious scholar of Anglo Saxon primary sources, rather than the general reader. Much of it is not even about Alfred, but about, for example, the construction of forts and other defensive installations across Europe. The overall result is that I found this rather dry and staying too far from the subject. I was also annoyed by his anachronistic use throughout of the words "minister" and "governor" rather than "thegn" and "earldoman" and the silly use of the word "girlfriend" for an unmarried female companion. It has, though, encouraged me to download Asser's life and the ASC onto my Kindle. ( )