Hi, I have just finished reading Sword song and have found the stories fascinating, and looking forward to the next installment. I am originally from the North East of England (living now in the North of London for my sins) and Bamburgh (and Lindisfarne) has been a regular place to visit since childhood and I look forward to taking my 6 year old daughter there hopefully this summer. I notice in your list of additional reading you do not include the Prose Edda – I would assume many of the Norse mythical references originate from here.

I am also very interested in the Sharpe series an wonder if you can confirm the claim by the Military Heritage website (http://www.militaryheritage.com/baker.htm) that this is the rifle supplied to the tv series? Many Thanks Paul Coulson