Your Questions

Q

I picked up a recent reprint of Sharpe's Eagle in a shop recently and saw your foreword explaining it was your first book and you had not re-read it since. Have you plucked up the courage yet? It's a good read. CP

Submitted July 16, 2004

A

Still haven't re-read it - but thanks!

Q

Hi Enjoyed reading your books and the films so much, I have started to collect your UK first edition hardback books. Started with the cheaper ones but hope to own them all in time. I would be interested to know what the size of the print runs for the first editions in the UK was. Is this information available. Thanks Nigel

Submitted July 16, 2004

A

I don't believe the information is available, but I do know that the first four books had fairly small print runs - 3,000 - 5,000 books. Sharpe's Sword was only around 3,000. After that it shot up.

Q

I'm a huge fan of the Sharpe series and recently found new copies of some of the Susannah Kells books at my local library. I find their protagonists very interesting, especially in contrast with Richard Sharpe, but my question is about their author. The blurb on the author inside the book says Susannah Kells is the pseudonym of your wife, but in a little piece you wrote for the Sharpe Appreciation Society website you say Kells was the name made up by a group of would-be novelists on a drunken bet. Which is it? Julia

Submitted July 16, 2004

A

Both right - does that make sense? It's a pseudonym, invented by a drunken group in Ireland, adopted by herself, OK?

Q

Your stories are great. I have a question about The Winter King. Did you invent the word "edling". I can't find it in any dictionary so far. Thank you. April Filis

Submitted July 14, 2004

A

It's Welsh - and I didn't invent it - basically the crown prince.

Q

I am an avid fan of all your fantastic books and the Sharpe series in particular. The question I have is about Sharpe's Devil, I was talking with a friend recently and he told me that in the first version of this book Sharpe and Harper died!! I rushed back to my book case but nothing of the sort happens in my copy, please could you tell me if this happened? (I'm sure if it did then there would be a large pile of enemy corpses around their bodies) and if it did how!!. Nick

Submitted July 14, 2004

A

They didn't die! I think your friend was rattling your cage!

Q

Mr Cornwell, Any chance that you may come and visit us in Australia? Regards Steve

Submitted July 14, 2004

A

I hope so!

Q

I have now read Battleflag, Stonehenge, The Grail Quest, but my favourites by far were the Arthur Trilogy. Was the character of Lancelot based on historical/mythological readings or did you decide yourself to put a new slant to the charactor by making him not the hero we have always read about. Derek Wyke

Submitted July 14, 2004

A

I think I was just being perverse - and, for some reason, I've never particularly liked Lancelot, so why not be perverse? Glad you liked the books!

Q

Dear Mr Cornwell, I have just read the first chapter of the Last Kingdom and I noticed that you have called an Ealdorman the same thing as an Earl. I was under the impression that they did differ. I thought that an Ealdorman was chosen by the King and did not have an hereditary position, it was up to the King to present the title to the Ealdorman's son or another candidate. This is very similar to the way the crown was passed as after Eathelred's death the crown passed to Alfred and not Eathelred's sons. Anyway I was under the impression that the word Earl comes from the Danish Jarl and it is an hereditary position and it did not appear properly in Anglo-Saxon Britain until Cnut's invasion in 1016. Also the powers granted to the individual differ on what they can do with regards to calling out the fyrd and various other things such as their position on the Witan. I was wondering where the information for this book came from and I also would like to know if there will be many parallels drawn between Uthred's writing and that of asser's? (apologies about the spelling but I am slightly dyslexic). Matthew Bowman

Submitted July 14, 2004

A

You'll understand, when you read the rest of the book, why Uhtred calls himself an earl which is, as you rightly say, a Danish rank and did not enter English usage until Cnut - but there is a reason!! Ealdormen? Some were appointed by the king, but many families were so powerful (like the real-life Uhtred family) that they arrogated the rank and no king was strong enough to take it away. There certainly are hereditary ealdormen - lots of them - though doubtless the kings would have preferred it otherwise.

Q

Dear Mr Cornwell, I have just read the first chapter of the Last Kingdom and I noticed that you have called an Ealdorman the same thing as an Earl. I was under the impression that they did differ. I thought that an Ealdorman was chosen by the King and did not have an hereditary position, it was up to the King to present the title to the Ealdorman's son or another candidate. This is very similar to the way the crown was passed as after Eathelred's death the crown passed to Alfred and not Eathelred's sons. Anyway I was under the impression that the word Earl comes from the Danish Jarl and it is an herediatry position and it did not appear properly in Anglo-Saxon Britain until Cnut's invasion in 1016. Also the powers granted to the individual differ on what they can do with regards to calling out the fyrd and various other things such as their position on the Witan. I was wondering where the information for this book came from and I also would like to know if there will be many parallels drawn between Uthred's writing and that of asser's? (apologies about the spelling but I am slightly dyslexic). Matthew Bowman

Submitted July 14, 2004

A

You'll understand, when you read the rest of the book, why Uhtred calls himself an earl which is, as you rightly say, a Danish rank and did not enter English usage until Cnut - but there is a reason!! Ealdormen? Some were appointed by the king, but many families were so powerful (like the real-life Uhtred family) that they arrogated the rank and no king was strong enough to take it away. There certainly are hereditary ealdormen - lots of them - though doubtless the kings would have preferred it otherwise.

Q

Thank you for improving my vocabulary. I do know that I need a dictionary for some of the words. One does not seem to be in the dictionary. It appears in the book after Trafalgar when he is trying to sell his commission. The word is "fungled" or similar. Sorry, I do not have the book with me and I only just discovered your site and this word occasionaly pops up in my head and is a constant irritant! Please help. Philip Norman

Submitted July 14, 2004

A

Fungible! You need a new dictionary! Something fungible is an object that can be exchanged - either for money or barter - something with intrinsic value. Sharpe's commission is not fungible - poor man.