Hugh the Chanter's History is a vivid and partly first-hand account of the church of York between 1069 and 1127. It illuminates the history not only of the church and court of England, but also of France and the papal curia in these years. The text of this revised edition differs considerably from its predecessors: it is based on a complete re-collation of the manuscript, and on a number of other copies of the documents it cites; the translation has also been adjusted at many points. There is a full introduction, which describes the manuscript, Hugh's background and purpose in writing, the chapter of York, and the issues at stake with Canterbury and Scotland. The textual apparatus and the notes to the text are entirely new. The editors' detailed and scholarly revision of this valuable source greatly increases our understanding of church and state under the Normans.

Hugh the Chanter's History is a vivid, partly first-hand account of the struggles of Archbishop Thurstan of York for the rights of his church in the court of King Henry of England and before the pope. Hugh's account illuminates the history not only of the church and court of England but also of France and the papal curia in those years. This revised edition is based on a complete re-collation of the manuscript, and includes a full introduction which describes the manuscript, Hugh's background and purpose in writing, the chapter on York, and the issues at stake with Canterbury and Scotland.

'Johnson's translation remains essentially intact, but I estimate that there are at least eight hundred modifications in the current edition. The revised translation is much smoother and more accurate than its predecessor ... the most significant advance is the scholarly apparatus surrounding the work ... M. Brett, C.N.L. Brooke, and M. Winterbottom deserve accolades for turning out such a splendid edition.' David S. Spear, Furman University, Speculum, January 1993