Synopses & Reviews
Drawing from a variety of sources, this beautifully illustrated new color edition of the New York Times bestseller brings readers more intimately into the medieval world than ever before. From tales of chivalrous knights to the barbarity of trial by ordeal, no era has been a greater source of awe, horror, and wonder than the Middle Ages. In handsomely crafted prose, and with an extraordinary gift for narrative history, William Manchester leads us from a civilization tottering on the brink of collapse to the grandeur of a rebirth that spawned some of history's greatest poets, philosophers, and artists-and that eventually enabled the West to emerge into the brilliance of the Renaissance. For Manchester, no man better epitomized this new quest for knowledge than Magellan, the first person to circumnavigate the world, whose inspiring story he vividly relates, along with the stories of the medieval men and women among the laity and at the highest Christian altars who influenced and changed the course of history.
Synopsis
Now beautifully illustrated and in color, this new edition of the classic New York Times bestseller brings readers more intimately into the medieval world than ever before. In handsomely crafted prose, and with an extraordinary gift for narrative history, William Manchester leads us from a civilization tottering on the brink of collapse to the grandeur of a rebirth that spawned some of history's greatest poets, philosophers, and artists.
Synopsis
Now beautifully illustrated and in color, this new edition of the classic New York Times bestseller brings readers more intimately into the medieval world than ever before. With extraordinarily crafted prose, acclaimed historian William Manchester takes us from the depths of the Dark Ages to the heights of the rebirth that spawned some of history's greatest artists and thinkers, recounting the dramatic events and people who changed history.
Synopsis
This beautifully illustrated new color edition of the classic New York Times bestseller brings readers more intimately into the medieval world than ever before.and#160;From tales of chivalry and valor to the barbarity of the Inquisition and the devastation of the plague, no era has been a greater source of fascination and horror than the Middle Ages. With extraordinarily crafted prose, acclaimed historian William Manchester takes us on a vividly painted journey into the medieval mind. We travel from the depths of the Dark Ages to the heights of the rebirth that spawned some of history's greatest artists and thinkersand#8212;and that eventually ushered the West into the brilliance of the Renaissance. For Manchester, the man who best epitomized this new quest for knowledge in a changing world was Ferdinand Magellan, the great circumnavigator, whose inspiring story Manchester dramatically recounts, along with the stories of countless medieval men and women from every walk of life who influenced and changed the course of history.
About the Author
William Raymond Manchester (1922-2004) was a bestselling author, biographer, and historian, whose 18 books have been translated into over 20 languages. One of his most important books, about John F. Kennedy, Death of a President (BBS Publishing Corporation), won the Dag Hammarskjold International Literary Prize. Manchester also wrote major biographies on H. L. Mencken, Douglas MacArthur, and a trilogy on Winston Churchill. The last book in the Last Lion trilogy (Little, Brown) was published posthumously in November 2012. Manchester won a Guggenheim Fellowship and the National Humanities Medal, among other awards, and was adjunct professor Emeritus and writer-in-residence at Wesleyan University.