Brooke, Gabriela. The Words of Bernfrieda: A Chronicle of Hauteville. 1999. Set in pre-Conquest Norman Italy; a “pseudo-chronicle” written by a woman who wants to give a female alternative to Amatus of Monte Cassino.
Durham, Marilyn. Flambard's Confession. 1982. About Ranulf Flambard.
Plaidy, Jean. The Bastard King. 1974. William the Conqueror, of course. According to Charles Burgess, “Filled with errors and really a mediocre (at best) book. People who don't know the period love it from what I understand. Starts with Robert's romance with Herleva and goes from there.”
Yonge, Charlotte. The Little Duke. 1862. The adventures of Richard I after the murder of William Longsword.
The French have a much more sophisticated view of comics than Americans; BDs (Bandes dessinées) aren’t just bodybuilders in tights or post-apocalyptic nightmares. One genre that seems to be growing in popularity is historical epics. Although often well-researched, these are not “edu-comics”; they tend to be rather racy (e.g., see the series Les Sanguinaires, an R-rated adaptation of Gregory of Tours [sic]). Several of these BDs deal with Normandy and/or the Vikings. Those drawn by Darvil are especially fun to look at; he has a remarkable sense of place. Virtually any BD ever published can be found at bdnet.com.
Histoire de France en bandes dessinées. Bandes dessinées Larousse, 1976. Volume 2, De Charlemagne à Guillaume le Conquérant, contains four chapters: “Sous le sceptre carolingien” and “Les loups de la mer,” written by Jacques Bastian and Jean Ollivier, drawn by Maurillo Manara and Eduardo Coelho; “La race des Capets” and “Cap sur l’Angleterre,” written by Victor Mora and Jean Ollivier, drawn by Victor de la Fuente and Eduardo Coelho.
Moi Svein, compagnon d'Hasting 1: L’initiation. Assor B.D., 1992. Written by Eriamel; drawn by Darvil; colored by Chagnaud (don't French comic book people have more than one name?). Preface by Jean Renaud. Tells the story of a companion of the fictional Viking anti-hero, Hasting, as they burns their way across France. Includes brief historical notes.
Nordman: Les Vikings en Normandie. Glénat, 1996. Story and art, Stalner; script, Daniel Bardet; coloring, Agnès Stalner. Egill, a young Dane, takes part in the Viking attacks on Normandy. Contains 20 pages of historical notes.
L'Epte, des Vikings aux Plantagenets 1: Le sang de Rollon, pour Saint Clair Coulera. Assor B.D., 1997. Written by Eriamel; drawn by Darvil; colored by Sophie Balland. Tells the story of the Rollonids from the point of view of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte; this volume goes from Rollo to Henry I. Includes historical notes and a map.
Moi Svein, compagnon d'Hasting 2: Méditerranée. Assor B.D., 1999. Written by Eriamel; drawn by Jean Marie Woehrel; colored by Sophie Balland. That wacky Hasting and his faithful sidekick Svein burn their way across the Mediterranean. Includes historical notes.