In the following essay, Gillingham compares the histories of England composed by William and Hume, noting that the idea of using histories as an aid to refining the temperament of the Englishman was as popular in the twelfth century as it was during the eighteenth, the time of Hume's writings.

In the following essay, Grandsen examines examples of realistic descriptions of people, places, and things in twelfth-century English writing, paying particular attention to the work of William of Malmesbury.

In the following essay, Otter examines William's Life of Wulfstan, focusing on his treatment of the Norman conquest and comparing it with the treatment of the conquest in the anonymous Life of King Edmund.

In the following essay, Thomson examines William's historical methods through an examination of one of his sources, also commenting in general on twelfth-century historiography.

In the following essay, Gerould contrasts William's Deeds of the English Kings, Henry Huntingdon's History of the English, and Geoffrey of Monmouth's History of the Kings of Britain in an effort to understand the political significance of the appearance of the Arthurian legend in the twelfth century.

In the following excerpt, James describes William's work in collecting, preserving, and commenting on classical manuscripts.

In the following essay, Slover argues that William brought elements of Irish literature, which are the basis of Arthurian romance, into several of his works.

In the following excerpt, first published in 1847, Giles presents a positive appraisal of William's character and briefly comments on his work.

In the following essay, Thomson examines William's accounts of and interest in the Islamic religion, contending that these passages illustrate the intensity of Malmesbury's interest in the subject, as well as illuminating new sources for the material.

In the following excerpt, Bartlett examines William's use of language to describe and differentiate people by race, nationality, and ethnicity.