5 h 18 minAudiobook5 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 5 h 18 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What is endless life worth if the person you love is lost beyond the sea?
In William Morris’s The Story of the Glittering Plain, sea raiders carry off the Hostage, the woman Hallblithe means to marry. The young fighter of the Raven kindred leaves Cleveland by the Sea to follow their ships. His search leads him into strange company, far from his own people and their familiar customs.
Among those he meets is Puny Fox, a quick-witted rogue whose guidance calls for caution. Beyond the sea lies the Glittering Plain, where the king offers life without age or death. Hallblithe’s quest brings love and loyalty face to face with that promise: what can such a land give him if the Hostage is not there?
What you’ll discover
- A lover who acts Follow Hallblithe as he sets out rather than wait for others to bring help.
- A guide to question Meet Puny Fox, whose quick wits make him useful but hard to trust.
- The promise of forever Enter a country said to offer everything, and consider what its promise leaves unanswered.
- An old saga’s rhythm Find plain words, short scenes, and a formal voice that invites a slower pace.
- Love measured against loss Explore the quiet question beneath the adventure: can love matter if nothing can be lost?
Who will love it
This is for readers who love sagas, sea voyages and quests, who enjoy the plain, rhythmic voice of the old North, and who like tales where love and loyalty weigh more than gold.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A bride is taken before the wedding
- A smiling stranger lures him across the sea
- Among the sea robbers, a bargain and a feast
- A land of endless joy where love is cheap
- The King's gift is a snare he must escape
- What the story is about and how it speaks
Who’s who
- HallblitheA strong young warrior of the House of the Raven who sets out to bring home his stolen bride.
- The HostageA maiden of the House of the Rose, promised to Hallblithe, who gives herself up to the sea robbers to protect her friends.
- The Puny FoxA huge red-haired sea robber and master of lies who leads Hallblithe across the water for reasons he will not name.
- Grandfather, the Sea-eagleA mocking old chieftain of the Isle of Ransom who travels to the Glittering Plain hoping to be made young.
- The Undying KingThe smiling ruler of the Glittering Plain, who gives gifts of youth and joy and holds his guests in his land.
- The King's DaughterA beautiful woman who longs for a man she has seen only in a painted book.
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La storia della Piana Splendente
by William Morris · 1890
Hallblithe loses his bride before Midsummer and follows a trail of lies to an island of sea robbers.
Medium level5–10 hours to readItaliano
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In short
Would you cross the sea to find one woman, if the road led through a land where no one grows old? In The Story of the Glittering Plain, William Morris sends a young warrior named Hallblithe after his stolen bride.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A bride is taken before the wedding
The story opens in Cleveland by the Sea, home of the House of the Raven. Hallblithe, a strong young man of free birth, is to marry a maiden called the Hostage on Midsummer Night. Everyone in both families welcomes the match.
On an early spring afternoon, three worn riders stop at his gate and ask if this is the Land of the Glittering Plain. Hallblithe laughs and says no. They cry that this is not the land and ride away. Soon the maidens come home from the shore in tears. Black-clad sea robbers have seized the Hostage, who claimed the name herself so that her friends would be spared.
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Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 5 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1890
- Language
- Italiano
- Reading time
- 3 h 25 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Morris, William. The Story of the Glittering Plain. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-story-of-the-glittering-plain.
Morris, W. (2026). The story of the Glittering Plain. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-story-of-the-glittering-plain (Original work published 1890)
Morris, William. The Story of the Glittering Plain. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-story-of-the-glittering-plain.
@book{morris2026story,
author = {Morris, William},
title = {The Story of the Glittering Plain},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-story-of-the-glittering-plain},
note = {First published 1890}
}
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What is The Story of the Glittering Plain about?
It follows Hallblithe, a young warrior whose bride is stolen by sea raiders. A trickster lures him to the Isle of Ransom, and from there he travels to a land of endless youth, where he must keep faith with his love.
What is the Glittering Plain?
It is a hidden land ruled by the Undying King, where people stay young and happy for ever. They forget their old lives, and the land holds those who enter it.
Who is the Puny Fox?
He is a huge, red-haired sea robber and a gifted liar who meets Hallblithe on the shore and takes him across the sea. His real purpose and what he feels about it drive much of the plot.
The author
William Morris
1834–1896 · English poet and designer
William Morris (1834–1896) was an English writer, textile designer, artist, and printer. He was born in Walthamstow and died in London. His books include The House of the Wolfings (1889), News from Nowhere (1890), and The Well at the World's End (1896). He founded the Kelmscott Press in 1891.
More by William Morris
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