Consciously modelling himself on the Venerable Bede, William of Malmesbury (c.1090–c.1142) was one of the most learned of all the medieval chroniclers. His monumental Gesta regum anglorum ('Deeds of the English Kings') is a model of historical scholarship, written in engaging, fluid Latin. First completed around 1125, it was later revised and extended. Volume 1 of this two-volume set, originally published between 1887 and 1889, presents the first two books of the Gesta, which cover events from the arrival of the Anglo-Saxons to the Battle of Hastings. Volume 2 presents the last three books, covering post-Conquest events up to the reign of Henry I. This is followed by the Historia novella ('Modern History'), a later work in annalistic form which covers events from 1128 to 1142, including the 'anarchy' of King Stephen's reign. Editor William Stubbs (1825–1901) provides substantial analysis of William's life and work in his prefaces.