Domesday The Inquest and the Book [Hardcover]

Domesday Book is the oldest and most precious of the public records, but historians still disagree on its purpose. In arguing that the writing of Domesday Book was no part of the Domesday survey, this book proposed a solution to a riddle that will change our perception of the Norman Conquest and Norman kingship.

Preface
The Mystique of the Book
Domesday and Title to Land
The Inquest and Government
The Texts
The Collection of Data
Commissioners and the Limits of their Commission
Circuit Reports
The Writing of Great Domesday
The Domesday Inquest and the Domesday Book
Afterword
Bibliography
Index

[Roffe] provide[s] a superb, measured exploration of his complicated, contentions subject. Roffe has thought long and deeply. His conclusions challenge cherished assumptions but portray medieval administrative genius on several new levels. Graduate students and researchers will happily debate his interpretations for decades to come. --CHOICE