G. K. Chesterton 
The Ballad of the White Horse (Annotated) 

• This edition includes the following editor’s introduction: G. K. Chesterton, the man beyond the writer

Originally published in 1911, ‘The Ballad of the White Horse’ is a poem by G. K. Chesterton about the idealised exploits of the Saxon King Alfred the Great and is considered to be his best work of poetry.



Written in ballad form, ‘The Ballad of the White Horse’ tells the story of how the King defeated the invading Danes at the Battle of Ethandun in the Valley of the White Horse, beneath an ancient equine image on the Berkshire hills.



This epic ballad has been described as one of the last great traditional epic poems ever written in the English language.