Book is viii + 164 pages, portions unpaginated; b/w illus. The book is a compilation, to accompany the 2007 film release of Robert Zemeckis, dir., Beowulf, of both the original draft of the screenplay (1997) and the final draft (2005), together with concept art, two songs, and various notes of explanation.

The 1997 screenplay is presented as the first primary content, preceded by a foreword by Avary (3-13). This portion of the book is followed by early concept art for the film ([123]-[132]), a "Middleword" by Avary (135-41) that serves as a preface to the 2005 screenplay version, that 2005 draft itself ([143]-[260]), an afterword by Gaiman (261-62), and the lyrics of 2 drafted songs by Gaiman, "We Are Beowulf's Army" and "Nail 'Em to the Wall," that were not represented fully in the film (263-64).

The screenplay has the following epigraph, whose translation is an (uncredited) borrowing from Chickering's translation of 1977 with one change in line 1:

Hwæt! We Gar-Dena     in geår-dagum,
peod-cyniga,     prym gefrunon,
hu oå æpelingas     ellen fremedon!

Listen! We have heard     of the Spear-Danes' glory
In the old days,     the kings of tribes--
How noble princes     showed great courage!

"Beowulf"
Lines 1-3
Original Author Unknown ([16]; errors in Old English sic)

The text of the screenplay begins:

NORTHERN DENMARK
518 A.D.
THE AGE OF HEROES

FADE IN:

1     EXT. HEROT—DAY

EXTREME CLOSE UP ON: The face of KING HROTHGAR. He is a man past the prime of his years, but still a mighty warrior, and a charismatic leader of men. As he bombastically talks, with full volume, to a large audience, we SLOWLY PULL BACK.

HROTHGAR

A year ago I, Hrothgar, your king, swore that we wouls celebrate our victories in a new hall, a mighty hall and beautiful. Craftsmen from all over the land of the Danes, and from all the civilized world have worked on this hall to make it the finest mead-hall on the face of the earth.

PULL BACK TO REAVEAL that Hrothgar is atop his horse in front of a huge mead hall, which is called Herot, and that around him are a HUGE BAND OF DANES--closest to him are WARRIORS, and ADVISORS, including ESHER, an elderly man, and UNFERTH (with long black hair streaming out from his winged helm and intense black eyes).

Further away are the MERCHANTS and the WOMEN and CHILDREN and DOGS. Everyone is Filthy. For that matter everyone in the film is filthy. ([17]; capitalization and formatting as in original])

And it ends:

161     EXT. THE GEAT SEA SHORE—DAWN

We are looking down from above as Grendel's Mother--the woman in the white cowl--begins to drop clothes on the beach, first her cloak and hood, then her skirt. She leaves the clothes on the beach behind her.

She walks into the sea. Her hair streams out behind her, like seaweed. She walks out until the sea covers her completely … and her song is done.

We watch the sun rise slowly.

She does not reappear.

She has gone beneath the waves.

THE END ([121]; capitalization and formatting as in original)

BAM.