New Medieval Books: Olav Audunssøn
Sigrid Undset’s novel, also known in English as The Master of Hestviken, was written between 1925 and 1927 and played a significant role in earning her the Nobel Prize for Literature. The work is divided into four volumes: Vows, Providence, Crossroads, and Winter.
New Medieval Books: Empire in the Western Ocean
This book chronicles the rise of the Ming Dynasty and their creation of a formidable naval power that extended far beyond China’s shores, reaching deep into the Indian Ocean.
New Medieval Books: Muslims on the Volga in the Viking Age
This collection of 19 essays delves into the 10th-century journey of Ibn Fadlan to the Rus’ and Volga Bulgarians. The essays offer an in-depth analysis of his text, shedding light on how medieval Arab perspectives shaped their understanding of the Vikings and other northern peoples.
New Medieval Books: Monastic Women and Secular Economy in Later Medieval Europe, ca. 1200 to 1500
This book uncovers the economic influence of female monasteries in medieval society, revealing how they played a central role in shaping the economy.
New Medieval Books: Translating Faith
At the close of the Middle Ages, a community of Ethiopian pilgrims settled in Rome. This book explores the records maintained by these Ethiopian Christians, shedding light on their way of life and their interactions with the Roman Catholic Church in the sixteenth century.
Which Translation of Romance of the Three Kingdoms Should I Read?
Romance of the Three Kingdoms, one of China’s greatest literary masterpieces, has fascinated readers for centuries with its epic tales of warfare, intrigue, and heroism. If you’re eager to dive into this 14th-century classic but don’t read Chinese, you might be wondering: Which English translation should you choose?
New Medieval Books: Radegund
The story of Radegund, a 6th-century princess who would find herself being married to the man who had killed her family. From high politics in the Merovingian Empire to the creation of a monastery, Radegund’s life is a very interesting tale.
New Medieval Books: Three Political Tales from Medieval Germany
Translations of three medieval German texts, two of which deal with knights while the third is about a fox. All of them were meant to offer political messages for their time, and perhaps for our time as well.
New Medieval Books: A Shattered Realm
This independently published book offers translations of several key sources from 14th and early 15th century Japan, shedding light on the fierce political struggles of the era. Many of these documents are being made available in English for the first time.
New Medieval Books: Medieval Eastern Europe
Medieval Eastern Europe, 500-1300: A Reader Edited by Florin Curta University of Toronto Press ISBN: 978-4875-4487-4 This collection of translated sources delves into…
New Medieval Books: The Misadventures of Master Mugwort
The Misadventures of Master Mugwort: A Joke Book Trilogy from Imperial China By Su Shi, Lu Cai, Tu Benjun Translated by Elizabeth Smithrosser…
New Medieval Books: Laetentur Caeli
A set of translated documents from the mid-15th century related to inter-Christian relations and attempts to bring a union between the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Armenian, Coptic and Ethiopian churches.
New Medieval Books: The Life of St Brendan and His Prayer
St Brendan the Navigator is one of the most famous saints from the Early Middle Ages. This book translates his Vita, which recounts Brendan’s life, and a prayer of protection that he supposedly created.
New Medieval Books: Introduction to the Carolingian Age
Serving as ‘an invitation to the study of Carolingian civilization,’ this book examines the political and societal changes that took place in Western Europe in the 8th and 9th centuries. It is mostly a guide to how this empire came about, the family that ruled it, and its quick end.
Cover Reveal: The Traitor of Sherwood Forest
Medieval scholar Amy S. Kaufman has written her first novel. Check out the cover to The Traitor of Sherwood Forest.
New Medieval Books: The Price of Collapse
Why did the Ming Dynasty collapse in the 17th century? This book offers an answer by looking at grain prices and how they were affected by climate change.
Medievalists.net’s Featured Book: The Doctors’ Dinner Party
The Medievalists.net Monthly Book Selection for September is The Doctors’ Dinner Party, by Ibn Butlan, translated by Philip F. Kennedy and Jeremy Farrell.
New Medieval Books: The Mirror of Simple Souls
This novel, originally in French as La nuit de béguines, tells the story of a community of religious women in 14th century Paris. It is based on the Beguines, the lay religious order that courted controversy in the later Middle Ages.
New Medieval Books: The Optics of Ibn al-Haytham Books IV-V
A translation of a section from Ḥasan Ibn al-Haytham’s work, Book of Optics, which was written between 1011 and 1021. It is a major work of scientific history, changing the way people understood eyesight and light.
New Medieval Books: House of Lilies
The Capetian Dynasty ruled France from 987 to 1328, shaping not only their nation’s history but also leaving a lasting impact across Europe and beyond. This is the story of their rise, reign, and enduring legacy.
New Medieval Books: Defining Nature’s Limits
Focusing on the 16th century, this book looks at how the Catholic Church tried to enforce their religious thinking when it came to science and magic in the late Middle Ages and early modern period.
New Medieval Books: A Companion to the Environmental History of Byzantium
A collection of 17 essays that cover a wide range of topics, including climate, water management, nature, and even earthquakes in the eastern Mediterranean region during the Middle Ages.
The Posthumous Papers of the Manuscripts Club
The illuminated manuscripts of the Middle Ages are among the greatest works of European art and literature. But we generally think much less about the people who made, saved and sometimes destroyed medieval manuscripts, over a thousand years of history.
New Medieval Books: Saints and Sinners on Horseback
A collection of 11 essays dealing with horses and their riders in the Middle Ages and Early Modern Era. They range from those animals mentioned in saints’ lives to those who were just being stolen in the English countryside.