About this title: 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 ...
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Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Date Published: 1993
ISBN-13:9780316545563ISBN:0316545562
Description: Good. MINOR shelf with minor markings. GoodwillnyBooks is committed to providing each customer with the highest standard of customer service. You may return new items within 30 days of delivery for a full refund. read more
Description: Good. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Acceptable. Book shows wear to cover edges and spine. Spine has creases. Corners bent/rounded. Cover may have folds or creases. Otherwise in good reading condition. read more
Description: Very good. By William Manchester; ISBN: 0316545562; Pub. : Little, Brown And Company; Pub. Date: 1993-06-01; Media: Paperback; Weight: 11.2 oz.; Why take a risk buying a book that is only vaguely described? This particular copy is in excellent condition. Just a shade below like new. Covers have a tiny bit of edgewear. A couple cover corner tips are slightly bent. Surfaces of covers are glossy. Binding is very good. Pages have no marks, writing or highlighting. Pages show indications of very ... read more
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Back Bay Books
Date Published: 1993
ISBN-13:9780316545563ISBN:0316545562
Description: Good. No dust jacket as issued. Highlighting/underlining. used book; underlining; good condition. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 336 p. Contains: Illustrations. Audience: General/trade. read more
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Little Brown & Co., Back Bay Books, 1993.
ISBN-13:9780316545563ISBN:0316545562
Description: Octavo, softcover, near fine in red pictorial wraps. 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. This narrative history 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 ... read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Date Published: 1993
ISBN-13:9780316545563ISBN:0316545562
Description: Fine. Excellent copy with a hint of shelfwear Excellent copy, tight, bright and clean with NO Markings or underlining to text. All items ship from Gig Harbor, Wa within 24 hrs! read more
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Back Bay Books
Date Published: 1993
ISBN-13:9780316545563ISBN:0316545562
Description: Very good. No dust jacket as issued. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 336 p. Contains: Illustrations. Audience: General/trade. read more
Edition: Reprint Edition
Binding: Trade Paperback
Publisher: Back Bay Books/ Little, Brown Company, Boston, MA
Date Published: 1993
ISBN-13:9780316545563ISBN:0316545562
Description: Very Good. History. 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall. From tales of chivalrous knights to the barbarity of trial by ordeal, no era had been a greater source of awe, horror, and wonder than the Middle Ages. This book is in very good condition and appears unread. There is a name and year written on the inside of the front cover. read more
Binding: PAPERBACK
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
ISBN-13:9780316545563ISBN:0316545562
Description: Fine. 0316545562 Excellent condition Soft cover book, clean pages, No creases to spine, this book is Near NEW! Shop & Save With US. read more
"Manchester did an amazing job taking a very convoluted period of time from history and presenting it in an easy-to-read manner. Material rolled out smoothly and was peppered with amazingly specific details that really enhanced my ability to experience medieval times and the nature and plight of the human experience during that era.
For instance, during the times of Henry VII and Henry VII the per capita allowance was a gallon of beer a day - even for nuns and eight year old children. The English "drink no water, unless at certain times upon religious score, or by way of doing penance." Which means there must have been an exceptional degree of intoxication, for people then were small. The average man stood a few inches over five feet and weighted about 135 pounds. His wife was shorter and lighter.....A young girls life expectancy was twenty-four. On her wedding day, traditionally, her mother gaver her a piece of fine cloth which could be made into a frock. Six or seven years later it would become her shroud. (pgs 54-55)
Manchester does a fine job of weaving political, religious and scientific development in such a way that the text never becomes boring or dry. An astonishing feat considering the large span of time he covered in history.
Manchester pummels catholicism as he treads through its early development and expansion. I would be interested in hearing reaction from faithful catholic readers as to how they reconcile the widespread corruption of early church history with their current perspective."
"Didn't finish this. Manchester sees the middle ages as a dark age of ignorance and stagnation the antithesis of the Renaissince. Its a pretty out of date attitude as the current belief is that people invneted and disvoered lots of stuff during the middle ages and that it was the plant that supported the flowering of the Renaissance. Also he's a believer in the Great man view of history also pretty old hat since behind every great man are the toilers who made all his discoveries possible and the events which allowed him to express his greatness. However I just read a review talking about serious debauchery and am considering giving it another go."
"I think this is an excellent book in so many ways. I really appreciate the overall writing style, and the period it covers is very interesting to me. However: the book started out as a biography of Magellan, and the author gets so bogged down in the backstory that Magellan becomes as afterthought.
Another complaint I have is that this author tends to present what is only his opinion in such a way that the less-than-careful reader will take it as fact.
Those two complaints aside, it's really a great book and worth reading."
FROM THE PUBLISHER 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 villains - the Renaissance."
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