New Medieval Books: Making a Medieval Stained Glass Window
Using a case study of the Great East Window at the York Minster, this book examines what we can learn about medieval glass windows through scientific research such as chemical analysis and x-ray fluorescence scans.
New Medieval Books: Empires of the Normans
An overview of the Normans and their history, beginning with Rollo and his Vikings, and expanding to cover England, Italy, the First Crusade and more. It goes beyond the typical overview of the Normans to also cover their presence in Asia Minor, North Africa and Scotland.
New Medieval Books: Wonders and Rarities
This book introduces us to the life and works of Zakariyyāʾ Qazwīnī, a 13th-century scholar from Iran. He wrote about the cosmos and the geography of the world, producing an influential book known as Wonders and Rarities.
New Medieval Books: Merits of the Plague
Part of Penguin Classics, this is a translation of an early fifteenth-century work about the Black Death and plagues. Written in Egypt, it is a valuable addition to our understanding of the pandemic and how people reacted to it.
New Medieval Books: Tales of Merlin, Arthur, and the Magic Arts
Tales of Merlin, Arthur, and the Magic Arts: From the Welsh Chronicle of the Six Ages of the World By Elis Gruffydd, translated…
New Medieval Books: Kalīlah and Dimnah: Fables of Virtue and Vice
Kalīlah and Dimnah: Fables of Virtue and Vice By Ibn al-Muqaffaʿ Translated by Michael Fishbein and James E. Montgomery New York University Press…
New Medieval Books: The Poetic Edda: A Dual-Language Edition (Open Access)
Having this work published, especially in Open Access, is a great service to readers and students of Norse mythology. The work is entertaining enough that anyone interested in the Middle Ages, especially the Viking world, should check it out.
New Medieval Books: The World of Wu Zhao
This is a good supplemental piece for those interested in the life and times of Wu Zhao or Tang Dynasty China.
Book of the Month: The History of the Tartars
Our Book of the Month for April is The History of the Tartars: Flower of the Histories of the East, by Het’um, translated by Robert Bedrosian.
New Medieval Books: Women, Dance and Parish Religion in England, 1300-1640
Those interested in how people decide what is immoral or sinful will find this a particularly fascinating case study. It tells the story of how one practice goes from something that people think is good to something that is seen as evil.
New Medieval Books: Medieval Muslim Mirrors for Princes
You can read from nine texts from the medieval Islamic world that fall into the genre ‘Mirrors for Princes’ – political advice for a ruler. Many are translated for the first time, and give their views on topics such as the Nature of Sovereignty, the King’s Character, Royal Authority, and Good Governance.
New Medieval Books: Hawking Women: Falconry, Gender, and Control in Medieval Literary Culture
An examination of medieval texts about falconry and other literature and what it can tells us about attitudes towards women, and how women themselves challenged those views.
New Medieval Books: Erotic Medievalisms: Medieval Pleasures Empowering Marginalized People
The overriding factor on whether or not you want to read this book will probably be how comfortable you are with ‘kinky’ sex.
New Medieval Books: Building Durham Cathedral
How medieval cathedrals were built is a fascinating topic, and there are not enough books like this.
New Medieval Books: Wolves in Beowulf and Other Old English Texts
Wolves rarely get positive depictions in the Middle Ages, and the same is true for Old English texts.
New Medieval Books: The Doctors’ Dinner Party by Ibn Butlan
One does not often see works of satire from the Middle Ages, so this will be of interest to those who want to know more about medieval humour.
Book of the Month: Smbat Sparapet’s Chronicle
Our Book of the Month for March is Smbat Sparapet’s Chronicle, translated by Robert Bedrosian.
New Medieval Books: Procopius of Caesarea: The Persian Wars: A Historical Commentary
Geoffrey Greatrex’ magnum opus, this book complements his translation of The Persian Wars.
New Medieval Books: Matthew Paris on the Mongol Invasion in Europe
This book can be seen as a case study to help answer the author’s question: “What is history and how did Matthew view his duty as a historian?”
New Medieval Books: The Fabric of the City: A Social History of Cloth Manufacture in Medieval Ypres
This is a very interesting book if you want to know more about how business and trade worked in the Middle Ages. It covers a full range of individuals and groups involved in this industry, from the owners to the workers, including some case studies.
New Medieval Books: The Conquest of Santarém and Goswin’s Song of the Conquest of Alcácer do Sal
Part of the very influential Crusade Texts in Translation series, this book offers editions and translations of two accounts of Crusader conquests of two towns that are now part of modern-day Portugal
New Medieval Books: Dictionnaire du Moyen Age Imaginaire: Le médiévalisme, hier et aujourd’hui
Richard Utz reviews this new book on medievalism.
New Medieval Books: Adèle and Gilbert: A Ballad
Adèle and Gilbert is a work of historical fiction written as a long narrative poem, and set in fourteenth-century France and Lombardy.
New Medieval Books: Chronicle of King Pedro
Many historians will want to read through this book – it’s the first English translation of the chronicle and the most important source we have of Pedro the Cruel.