To Bernard Cornwell I am an a undergraduate archaeology student studying at the University of Winchester. For one of my essays I am to study a novel about the Anglo-Saxon period, to see how much accurate archaeological content it has. For this I have read The Lords of the North which I found very well written and an enjoyable book. I chose it because it dealt with the right period, it was more historically accurate than some others I had considered, and it looked like a good read. I was wondering whether it would be possible to tell me any sources that you found particularly useful as an author. I am of course focusing on archaeological sources, but I will discuss historical sources to a lesser extent. Coincidentally, for another essay I am studying some small bronze rods that are possibly divining rods for fortune telling and have so far found little information on the subject. I noticed that the use of runes ticks is mentioned in your book, and although these examples are wooden it seems they could serve a similar purpose so it would be very useful if you could tell me any evidence you found for this. Thank you very much, Laura Schenck