'A History of the British Nation' by AD Innes, 1912, published by TC & EC Jack, London

A History of the British Nation starts really getting into its stride in its coverage of the so-called 'Dark Ages'. In reality, of course, the Dark ages were anything but dark, though the scarcity of written records means that historians have to work harder to unearth the facts about this long and often violent period in British history. Check our main Dark Ages history section for more on this period.

Saxon soldiers