New Medieval Books: Letter on the Double Eclipse of the Sun
Wondering how people understood astronomy in the Early Middle Ages? This book offers the text and translation of a letter to Charlemagne prompted by a rare astronomical event that took place in the early ninth century.
New Medieval Books: The Mongol Archive in Late Medieval France
As news reached 13th-century Europe of a new power emerging in the East, the kings of France were among those most eager to learn more about these mysterious newcomers. This book traces their efforts to understand the Mongols, establish connections with them, and explores how these encounters left their mark on medieval France.
New Medieval Books: Cultures of the Medieval Kingdom of Jerusalem
In the aftermath of the First Crusade, a new state emerged in the eastern Mediterranean that was very different from the lands its conquerors had come from. This book examines the social and cultural landscape of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, revealing a remarkably diverse society shaped by peoples of different ethnic, religious, and cultural backgrounds.
New Medieval Books: Craftland
What was work like before industrialisation? This book looks back at Britain before the rise of modern industry, exploring the professions and occupations that once played an important role in people’s everyday lives.
New Medieval Books: Chaucer and Trauma
The 14th-century writer Geoffrey Chaucer included many episodes of “violence, victimhood, and overwhelming grief or loss” in his works. The nine papers in this collection explore how he presents these traumatic experiences and what they reveal about both the writer and his medieval world.
New Medieval Books: Nemesis
For the English kings Henry II, Richard I, John and Henry III, one rival repeatedly gained the upper hand. This book examines a crucial period in the rivalry between England and France, revealing how Philip Augustus became such a formidable opponent.
New Medieval Books: A Medieval Cabinet of Curiosities
It is often said that every object tells a story. This book brings that idea to life through fifty items from the Middle Ages, ranging from spoons to shields.
New Medieval Books: The First King of England
This biography tells the story of how Æthelstan rose from King of the Anglo-Saxons to King of the English. In doing so, he became a central figure in the creation of a new nation during the tenth century
New Medieval Books: Natural and Supernatural in Early Medieval England
Were strange creatures believed to inhabit the lands just beyond the known world? Could an illness be cured by a plant or a magic spell? As this book reveals, people in medieval England grappled with questions such as these.
New Medieval Books: King Arthur
This book revives the debate over who King Arthur was and whether he was a historical figure. It also examines his portrayal in medieval Welsh and English literature and the ways modern scholars have interpreted those traditions.
New Medieval Books: How Genre Governs Creation in the Medieval Icelandic Sagas
Icelandic sagas are a unique form of medieval literature that can be difficult to understand. This book uses ideas about genre, including some drawn from film studies, to offer new ways of reading and interpreting them.
New Medieval Books: People of the Image: Jews and Art
Histories of medieval art usually focus on works made by and for Christians. This book instead explores art created by and for Jewish communities, revealing new perspectives on how people understood and experienced the medieval world.
New Medieval Books: The North Caucasian Kingdom of Alania, 850–1240
The medieval world saw many kingdoms and states rise to dominate their regions, only to collapse and fade from memory. This book tells the story of one such realm—Alania—and traces its nearly 400 years of history.
New Medieval Books: Constructing the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles
Few texts are as important to our understanding of early medieval England as the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. This book investigates how the Chronicle came into being and how generations of scribes and scholars sustained the project for over 200 years.
New Medieval Books: Depicting the Holy War
How did Europeans view the crusades during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries? According to this book, the answer is literally painted on the walls. It examines five sets of murals from the period, revealing how medieval people chose to depict, remember, and interpret the crusades.
New Medieval Books: Saint Benedict, Montecassino, and the Crisis of Ninth-Century Southern Lombards in Early Medieval Cassinese Memory
Southern Italy in the ninth century was beset by warfare, political rivalry, and frequent Muslim raids. The monks of Montecassino Abbey witnessed these turbulent times and left behind a valuable account, translated here.
New Medieval Books: Medieval Mining and Power in Thirteenth-Century Europe
Silver mines, flooded tunnels, and fierce political rivalries lay at the heart of a medieval struggle for wealth and power in the Alps. This book reveals how controlling water and underground resources helped reshape society, technology, and economic life in thirteenth-century Europe.
New Medieval Books: The Genius of Invective
Have you ever watched a deep dive into a movie where someone explains all the hidden details and Easter eggs? This is the medieval equivalent: a famous eleventh-century letter that later inspired one particularly detailed analysis written three hundred years afterward.
New Medieval Books: The Medieval Mediterranean between Islam and Christianity
If you are interested in the connections between Christian and Islamic cultures in the Middle Ages, physical objects can reveal remarkable stories of exchange and interaction. This book brings together ten essays exploring the materials, artifacts, and goods that moved between these two societies, shedding light on the cultural ties that linked the medieval Mediterranean world.
New Medieval Books: The People’s Princes
While Niccolò Machiavelli is often associated with ruthless or disreputable tactics, a closer reading of his works reveals a far more nuanced thinker with substantial insights into politics and government. This book explores his ideas on the relationship between rulers and the people they govern.
New Medieval Books: Chinese Characters across Asia
Chinese Characters across Asia: How the Chinese Script Came to Write Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese By Zev Handel University of Washington Press ISBN:…
New Medieval Books: The Art of Making Verses
Gervase of Melkley promises that “This little book is for beginners!”—yet his medieval guide to poetry is surprisingly inventive. Instead of repeating standard rules, he introduces a fresh method for composing verse, leading readers from clear expression to metaphor and irony.
New Medieval Books: Vikings, Knights, Elves, and Ogres
This collection of nine essays explores medieval literature from England and Scandinavia, bringing together studies on figures and texts including Beowulf, Sir Gawain, the wolf Fenrir and Tolkien.
New Medieval Books: The Life of St. Othmar
This hagiographical work recounts the life of Othmar, the first abbot of the Abbey of St. Gall. It describes his leadership, his imprisonment and death, and the miracles later attributed to him.