"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 the grace and authority of his extraordinary gift for narrative history, William Manchester leads us from a civilization tottering on the brink of collapse to the grandeur of its rebirth--the dense explosion of energy that spawned some of history's greatest poets, philosophers, painters, adventurers, and reformers, as well as some of ...
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"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 the grace and authority of his extraordinary gift for narrative history, William Manchester leads us from a civilization tottering on the brink of collapse to the grandeur of its rebirth--the dense explosion of energy that spawned some of history's greatest poets, philosophers, painters, adventurers, and reformers, as well as some of its most spectacular villans--the Renaissance"--Cover, p. 4.
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Add this copy of A World Lit Only By Fire: the Medieval Mind and the to cart. $6.64, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Dallas rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2014 by Sterling.
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New in new dust jacket. Sewn binding. Paper over boards. With dust jacket. 336 p. Contains: Illustrations, black & white, Illustrations, color. Audience: General/trade.
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I have owned this book for years and bought this copy as a gift. Once you've read this well thought out book with it's well told history you will understand how history relates to events today. For instance, When the Huns, who were as Isis is today, taught they should rule the world and to show no mercy in attaining their desires, which were to rule the world, came out of Mongolia...their first attempt was to attack China. The Chinese, with the Great Wall's assist, defeated the Huns. The Huns went on to defeat the Goths, and then most of the rest of Europe fell leading to over 700 years which became known as the dark ages. This book along with Malcolm Gadwell's, "The Tipping Point", helps one understand what we are facing today. We do live in interesting times...
froggy
Jun 3, 2016
Shines light on some of history;'s dark corners.
This book will provide insights that are not available from other sources. It covers the foundations of the King Edward English Bible and also when Magellan discovered that the world was round in the Philippines. Excellent. I gave several copies to friends. I am an avid reader during this time period since I also enjoy European operas. I also focus on the misuse of religious and institutional power against anyone who protests. My primary academic interest includes organizational and social deviancy and the processing of conflict by governments and social institutions. I do not study books as a historian or from a religious perspective.
It is a privilege to write this review and recommend this book.
Froggy, Ph.D. MPA,MBA,MS I am proud to be a Heretic!
Chet
Mar 18, 2016
Stand by to learn a lot!
Written by a Master researcher, who despite the tons of detail, made this book very hard to put down! You will understand the Medieval era so much better when you read Manchester's account of specifically HOW the Christian church affected people and politics and the monumental changes wrought by the Reformation.
FrederickArehart
Jun 23, 2011
Author's Arrogance and Ignorance is Apalling
Was looking forward to a good read concerning an era that is not well known. Instead I got a bunch of nonsense.
Manchester's reputation as a researcher and writer takes a big hit in the groin with this book. His research is sloppy, his characterization of historical figures is profoundly soap operatic and his twisting of events and people is breathtaking.
He obviously has a large axe to grind. It seems determined to portray anyone and everything about Medieval Europe as perverts and reprobates. He never does reveal why he is so obsessed, but, something about this era gives him an atomic wedgie.
Manchester is totally without any sense of historiography concerning the Medieval era.
All in all a book on the order of "Chariots of the Gods" in its twisting of real world people and events. Personally, am considering burning my copy rather than inflict it upon an innocent soul at the Goodwill.
dekesolomon
Dec 12, 2009
Fire is dim overall but burns brightly in spots
All things considered, "A World Lit Only by Fire" is not William Manchester's best book. Not by a long shot.
Those who claim there's nothing new here are right. On the other hand, much of what Manchester tells here is still not well-known to the religious laity nor even to the proverbial "man on the street". My own guess is that at least 95 percent of the world's Lutherans are totally ignorant of the fact that Martin Luther was as crazy as a crap-house mouse. And if Catholics are more worldly (They seem so to me.), that's not because the Roman church makes a practice of airing its spotted shorts in Vatican Square on Easter Sunday.
Those who claim Manchester shows prejudice in this book are right. But that in itself is nothing new. I cannot speak of his earlier work -- "The Arms of Krupp," the Churchill trilogy, etc. -- because I have not read it. But those like me who've read Manchester's war memoir, "Goodbye, Darkness," have seen that side of him before.
My experience is that Manchester's prejudices are shared among the rest of those whom Tom Brokaw was pleased to call "The Greatest Generation." But Brokaw's career in journalism displays both a narrow perception and an almost total lack of insight. So it should come as no surprise that a hard look at the World War II generation reveals that they were just ordinary people. Like all other twentieth-century Americans, they were a generation systematically lied to as children and young adults. Hence they went to war with set of beliefs that the reality of war utterly destroyed.
Summing up, I think of the World War II generation more realistically than foolish Mr. Brokaw: They were not the greatest. Instead they were the generation that dismantled Fascism in Germany, Italy and Japan -- and then brought it home for the rest of us to enjoy. . . .
But that's another story, isn't it?
So "A World Lit Only by Fire" is not great history by anybody's standards. Even so, I came away from the experience knowing much more about Martin Luther than I'd ever known before. I thoroughly enjoyed the chapter on Magellan, and I'm grateful to Manchester for those two gifts -- which only cost me $22.95 (or thereabouts).
My reading also taught me that Manchester was a fine writer. If I ever exhaust my list of things to read before I die, I'll pick up "The Arms of Krupp" and the Churchill trilogy and some of that other stuff and read every word before I throw it on the fire. I expect the smoke from such a blaze will flavor my tea nicely.
