"Naismith has revealed multiple layers to his story and that of the Mercian supremacy, which, with a mystique common to many lost kingdoms, has become an earthily ancient touchstone for the identity of the modern West Midlands."--Jack Watkins, Country Life "In this brilliant piece of historical detective work, Rory Naismith restores Offa to his proper dimensions, revealing a hardnosed but pious ruler who changed the course of English (and indeed British) history. Authoritative and eminently readable, it will long be the standard work on the subject!"--Levi Roach, author of Empires of the Normans "Offa was the most powerful English king before the mid-tenth century, but he resists analysis. Naismith shows a remarkable skill in bringing all the threads together to produce a compelling picture of how an eighth-century king in England could make himself central, to both English and European politics."--Chris Wickham, author of Medieval Europe "A dependable biography of this most elusive of English rulers. It captures what would otherwise be only fleeting impressions of a fascinating individual."--Christine Rauer, author of Beowulf and the Dragon.