Medievalists.net’s Featured Book: Beards & Baldness in the Middle Ages
The Medievalists.net Monthly Book Selection for August is Beards & Baldness in the Middle Ages: Three Texts, by Joseph McAlhany.
New Medieval Books: The New Reynard
The medieval tales involving Reynard the Fox are always a fun read. Here we have translations of three satires from the 13th century, which sees our mischievous protagonist poking fun at politics of the medieval kind.
From Roman West to Rus’: Four Medieval Books Added to our Patreon Shop
Now on our Patreon Shop: four more medieval studies’ book from the Arc Humanities Press’ Past Imperfect Series. Here is what you can now buy!
New Medieval Books: The Medieval Pig
Everything you want to know about pigs in medieval Europe. It ranges from how they were farmed in the countryside and city to how they were depicted in literature and art – and of course, how they ended up on people’s dinner plates.
New Medieval Books: In Defense of Women
An early 16th-century text arguing for equality between men and women. Colonna sets out to show that “women are absolutely perfect and wholly capable of attaining all the virtues, and on that account they are not to be barred from public offices and magistracies.”
New Medieval Books: Saving Michelangelo’s Dome
Examines the efforts to repair and restore the dome atop St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome in the 18th century. The book also delves into how this church was designed and built during the 15th and 16th centuries.
New Medieval Books: The Kennicott Bible
Not only do you get a study of this late-medieval Hebrew Bible but it also comes with over 150 pages from the text.
New Medieval Books: Letters from the North
Eleven short documents, in Latin with an English translation, that report on efforts to convert pagan peoples in northern Germany and Scandinavia.
Refugees Find Solace in Dante’s Words
‘Dante on the Move’ explores the profound connections between Dante’s ‘Divine Comedy’ and the modern refugee experience.
New Medieval Books: Bad Chaucer
One of the famous works of the Middle Ages is scrutinized for its errors, missed opportunities, and not-so-great poetry.
New Medieval Books: The Dawn of the Warrior Age
This book offers translations of three medieval texts: The Tale of the Hogen Years, The Tale of the Heiji Years, and An Account of the Jokyu Years, all of which describe war and violence over who would rule the imperial court of Japan.
Four New Medieval Books on our Patreon Shop
We are really happy to add four more books to our Patreon Shop. They are all from Arc Humanities Press’ Past Imperfect Series. Here is what you can now buy!
Explore 10 Fascinating Icelandic Sagas You’ve Probably Never Heard Of
Here are ten lesser-known Icelandic sagas that offer intriguing narratives and rich historical insights.
New Medieval Books: Paved with Gold
A biography of Richard Whittington, a wealthy merchant and Lord Mayor of London in the 14th and 15th centuries. While Whittington would later become the story of folklore and legend, this book mostly focuses on what he did in London and his interactions with several English kings.
New Medieval Books: Caliphate and Imamate
Translations of seven texts written between the eleventh and thirteenth century by Islamic writers that deal with politics and theology. They examine questions about who has political authority and why, whether they be Caliphs or Imams.
New Medieval Books: God’s Own Language
An examination of twelfth-century architecture using the writings and drawings of Richard of Saint Victor. These drawings appear in a biblical treatise depicting a temple, and might be the earliest architectural representations that we have.
Medievalists.net’s Featured Book: Supplementary Exercises for Old Norse – Old Icelandic
The Medievalists.net Monthly Book Selection for July is Supplementary Exercises for Old Norse – Old Icelandic, by Jesse Byock and Randall Gordon.
New Medieval Books: Textiles of the Viking North Atlantic
The eleven essays in this book examine what we know about clothing and textiles in the Viking Age. The first part is based on archaeological evidence, while the second makes use of practical experiments to recreate what the Norse in the North Atlantic might have worn.
New Medieval Books: Shi’ite Rulers, Sunni Rivals, and Christians in Between
This book examines how inter-religious relations worked in the Fatimid Caliphate during the late tenth and early eleventh centuries. It would be a period that saw great swings back and forth when it came to religious tolerance.
New Medieval Books: Medieval Humour
What did people in the Middle Ages find funny? This book has six essays that examine what would be humourous in medieval Western culture, whether it be in manuscripts, writings, or even in the monastery.
New Medieval Books: The House of Hemp and Butter
Detailing the medieval and early modern history of Riga, now the capital city of Latvia. Founded in the twelfth century, the city’s story is one where Germans and other Western Europeans came into contact with the peoples of the Baltic – whether it be in war, trade or religion.
New Medieval Books: Recovering Old English
By the 16th century, Old English was a language that could not be understood by the vast majority of the people in England. However, it was at this time that some scholars began to collect, edit and study these writings. This book tells the story of their work and achievements in preserving a medieval language.
New Medieval Books: Across the Green Sea
Examines the connections – commercial and cultural – between various communities and peoples around the western half of the Indian Ocean. There would be much competition in this maritime world, from local players as well as from European and Ottoman powers.
New Medieval Books: Tajikistan’s National Epics
Here are translations of two works by a Tajik historian – the first deals with Al-Muqanna, an 8th-century military leader who rebelled against the Abbasid Caliphate, and the other is on Temur Malik, who fought against the Mongols in the 13th century. Both are important figures in medieval Central Asian history.
New Medieval Books: Gunpowder Technology in the Fifteenth Century
After examining what we know about the development of gunpowder in late medieval Europe, this book offers an edition and translation of an early 15th-century manuscript known as a Firework Book.