In 1994, medieval historian Bullough was still working on what was to be a two-volume account of the Anglo-Saxon scholar Alcuin (735-804). Sometime after that, he died with the project unfinished. He begins with a defense of his biographical approach and a survey of his sources. Then he describes the social and intellectual milieu in Northumbria generally and York in particular, Alcuin's work there especially with the vernacular, his travels to Francia and Rome, and his final days at Aachen serving the court of Charlemagne. He reassesses the chronology of his career and writings, assesses his use of patristic and insular writings, and explores the contemporary significance of his large output. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)