"Be still at the back! If I tell my tale I will have no idle chatter, for the man whose tale I tell deserves truth, awe and respect, not careless wagging tongues. Look into the flames, and let your mind empty until you hear your heart beating and feel the blood running through your veins. For this is a tale of blood, heat and ashes." So begins Beowulf, the finest heroic poem in Old English, available for the first time as an illustrated storybook, artfully retold and illustrated in all its dramatic glory.