There are several chapters in this collection that standout as innovative and interesting; however, the frame that holds the book together is imprecise and underdeveloped. The introduction sets out an overambitious and in many ways redundant goal: to "move [...] beyond the familiar lines set out in conventional studies" on the reception of the Middle Ages by offering "radical, exiting, informed and innovative readings of the importance and prominence of the Middle Ages". (15) I would argue, however, that this kind of work has been the bedrock of medievalism studies since its foundation as an academic field in 1970s.

Indeed, many of the chapters in this book, though focused on novel case studies, seem unfamiliar with the field of medievalism - its scope, its history, its theoretical underpinnings, its scholarship - and as such, assertions, especially around innovation and freshness, are often undercut. There also exists a fundamental disconnect between the title, the introduction, and many of the chapters published in the collection. There is no central 'thrust' to the book, instead it is portioned into four sections - 'Teaching the Medieval', 'Digitising the Medieval', 'Fetishizing the Medieval' and 'Manipulating the Post-Medieval' - that, though containing at least one particularly noteworthy and novel chapter, do not combine to form a coherent and cogent whole.

Notably, 'teaching' the medieval is a popular (and fruitful!) strand woven throughout the book but far from unifying the collection, this creates further confusion around the study's parameters when it completely disappears as a theme half-way through. The editors inform us in their introduction that the book came out of an online seminar series, 'What (is) Medieval?', and indeed it feels more like the various offerings of a conference program than a purposefully curated collection.

Part one 'Teaching the Medieval' begins with a pedagogical study by Dhwani Patel and Gemma Plumpton on engaging British primary school students in the global Middle Ages with an eye to fostering "respect for the complexity and diversity of the Middle Ages". (45) The subsequent chapter by Jonathan Sellin and Jacob Olivey similarly advocates for a more inclusive approach to teaching high school history, encouraging 'scale switching' between broad-scale overviews of major events and topics and smaller 'depth studies', to promote a more varied, engaged, and "rigorous understanding" (64) of the Middle Ages. Chapter three by Andrew B. R. Elliot and Mike Horswell is a high point of the collection; an insightful examination of the value of medievalism in the tertiary history classroom for its ability to destabilise 'pastist' positivism and bring "into sharp focus the ways that the medieval can be hijacked". (71) Ariana Ellis' chapter on what she calls 'immersive pedagogy' in the classroom rounds out the first section and, like the preceding chapter, is useful for scholars teaching medieval texts and history at university.

Section two 'Digitising the Medieval' starts with Euan McCartney Robson's chapter on teaching modern medieval image theory. It is a particularly interesting and innovative paper, but it feels out of place in this section of the book. So too does the pedagogical chapter by Kenna L. Olsen, Cosmo Christoffersen's, and Samanta Purchase on teaching medievalism via digital technology in tertiary settings. These would make more sense in chapter one. Jack Newman's chapter advocates the need for linguistic and digital literacy training to foster equity in employability for history graduates, and another by Leila Rangel Silva Geroto surveys the splicing of images from the Book of Kells for merchandise and souvenirs. These are novel studies within the remit of the digital humanities and are perhaps the only papers that clearly fit the parameters of this section.

Part three is more cohesive, centring the topic 'Fetishizing the Medieval' but it feels particularly unmoored as a section from the broader collection. Kenna L. Olsen's paper examines the story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight alongside, somewhat puzzlingly, the 2006 Justin Timberlake song, 'Sexy Back' to compare medieval and modern conceptions of 'sexy'. Meriem Pagès' screen studies paper examines a popular and problematic trend in medievalist film and television of the twenty-first century in which the barbarism of the medieval 'Dark Ages' is used to excuse violent sexualised images of women. The final chapter for the section, by Martine Mussies, examines queer BDSM fanfiction about King Alfred the Great.

The final section is titled 'Manipulating the Post-Medieval.' The topic of the misuse and manipulation of the medieval is apparent throughout the collection thus it feels rather arbitrary as a theme. Nevertheless, these final three papers of the collection are particularly thoughtful and thought-provoking case studies on various medievalisms. Renée Ward looks at an early Victorian prose adaptation of the Arthurian legend by an underexamined female author, E.L. Hervey. Ward highlights the conservative nationalist politics and yet, the progressive gendered elements of Hervey's text, arguing that it results in a "complex narrative that invites readers to examine and think critically about the medieval and contemporary worlds". (255) One could say the same of Ward's chapter. Euan McCartney Robson's paper on Thomas Jefferson's engagement with medievalism for American nation building is particularly illuminating. Howard Williams' chapter on the graphic novel and 2005 film V For Vendetta as a work of 'Vikingism' that sits in stark contrast to the co-option of Viking mythology by white supremacists is a real highlight and a strong end to the book.

Notwithstanding the imprecise scope of the collection, it contains many excellent papers with valuable pedagogical, literary, practical, cultural, and historical insights for medievalists, medievalismists, and teachers of the Middle Ages.

Ellie Crookes