The nine papers of this volume are a selection of those given at the interdisciplinary colloquium Shaping Understanding; Form and Order in the Anglo-Saxon World, which was held in March 2001 at the British Museum. Published in an oversized format (8.25x11.75") and heavily illustrated with b&w plates of excellent quality, the volume is devoted to the history of Anglo-Saxon manuscripts, sculpture, metal arts, and poetry. Two of the papers present overviews of the field: Richard N. Bailey's on the meanings of the forms and orderings in Anglo-Saxon art and Susan Youngs' on the origin of manuscript decorative motifs in Celtic metalwork. Other subjects include the distribution of verse types in Old English poetry, by Geoffrey Russom (English, Brown U., Rhode Island) and the importance of the chi-rho in insular and Anglo-Saxon manuscript decoration. The volume, which is not indexed, is distributed in North America by The David Brown Book Co. Annotation ©2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)