Pacaritambo

THE BLACK DEATH
by Philip Ziegler. Condition: UNREAD 1986 Harper Torchbooks Trade Paperback (of a 1969 edition), 20th printing. Tiny edgewear and heavy tanning to interior page edges. Content: Explores the lasting effects of the Black Death on European society and its contribution to the disintegration of an age. [1 copy available]
$ 5.59 + $ 3.19 media shipping.

THE BOOK OF COURTLY LOVE: Medieval Stories and Songs
edited by Robert Yagley. Lancelot du Luc painting cover art. Condition: UNREAD 1997 Barnes & Noble hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), first printing. Content: A wonderful book about courtly love in the middle ages. A great sample of the medieval love literature in its most eloquent lyric and narrative expression: from love poetry to satire, slurs and much more. Both poetry and prose have been included for the readers pleasure. [And one story about vampires.] Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
$ 4.49 + $ 2.94 media shipping.

CHIVALRY: The Path of Love (The Little Wisdom series)
by C. J. McKnight. Beautiful color era drawings and paintings illustrate. Condition: UNREAD 1994 Chronicle Books small hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), first printing. Content: This book is an excellent examination both the ideal, as well as the reality, of the Age of Chivalry. It is divided into the following sections: the introduction (by Oxford Fellow Jeremy Cato), The Origins of Chivalry, The Art of Courtly Love, and Chivalry in the Late Middle Ages. The many full-color illustrations are beautiful and jewel-like. The overall effect is that of a hand illustrated medieval book. This is a high quality hard cover. There is an attractive, colorful dust jacket. It should be noted that if you remove the jacket, the cover is illustrated with the seal of the Knights Templar. Questions welcome. [1 copy availaable]
$ 5.49 + $ 3.09 media shipping. Priority shipping available.

FOUR STAGES OF RENAISSANCE STYLE:
Transformations in Art and Literature 1400 - 1700
by Wylie Sypher. B&W photo section (12 pages). Condition: Very good pre-read 1955 Anchor paperback original, first printing. Pale spine & hinge crease with small edgewear. No tanning! Content: A discussion of the four major stages of Renaissance style: Renaissance, Mannerism, Baroque, and Late Baroque. [1 copy available]
$ 4.50 + $ 2.94 media shipping.

LIFE IN A MEDIEVAL CASTLE
by Joseph & Frances Gies. B&W photos, drawings, and even "sheet music." Condition: Gently pre-read 1992 HarperPerennial Trade Paperback, 19th printing. Light edgewear with pale spine crease. Interior pages clean & tight with light tanning to edges. Content: Reviewer: "This short book on life in a medieval castle centers around the history of one fortress on the border between England and Wales, and then relates that story to castles across Western Europe. The passages are divided into chapters on all facets of castle life, and are written in a clear, almost "novel" like way. Some of the facts presented are well-known, but there were enough fresh tidbits and interesting anecdotes that I never found myself bored. In addition, at the end of the book, is a list of historically important castles, ranging in construction from the 9th century to the 15th century, that can be useful if the reader is planning a trip to England, France, Spain or elsewhere in Europe. All in all, an entertaining and well written book." [1 copy available]
$ 2.49 + $ 3.09 media shipping.

LIFE IN A MEDIEVAL TIMES
by Marjorie Rowling. B&W photos, drawings illustrate. Condition: UNREAD 1973 Perigree Trade Paperback, 28th printing. Problem: shelf wear in the form of creased fore edges 4 pages and a pale near-crease front cover close to hinge. Interior clean & tight. Content: This fascinating medieval book is truly a jewel for students and history buffs everywhere. Rowling breaks the book down into comprehensive units that allow the reader to maximize precious research time by finding important facts and quotes quickly. Each chapter provides its own concise collection of information, saving researchers the inconvenience of sorting through pages of irrelevant data to find specific quotes and subjects. The author offers readers an in depth look into Medieval society from economic, clerical, aristocratic, and even plebian viewpoints, giving all aspects of society equal representation. Rowling does not try to gild over the harsh realities of medieval life, and unlike many other historians, she does not attempt to use the brutality of the period to support any ideological opinions. She describes joyous festivals and the simple pleasures of daily life as well as documenting the cruelties of war and the injustices of feudal organization. Even such controversial topics as the conflict between religion and government, the status and rights of women in society, and the questionable alliance between militarism and piety in the Crusades are presented with a remarkable absence of pervasive bias. Rowling's educational mission presents the discerning reader with legitimate facts and leaves the individual to make important decisions and form their own opinions about history. This academic justice presents a powerfully lucid view of history and medieval life. [1 copy available]
$ 5.49 + $ 3.09 media shipping.

MEDIEVAL PEOPLE
by Eileen Power. Condition: Good+ to Very Good c. 1976 Barnes & Noble Trade Paperback. UNREAD but cover has problems: rubbing along front hinge, edgewear & creases back cover corners. The interior clean, tight with no tanning. Content: Eileen Power's Medieval People sets out to study the Middle Ages not from the viewpoint of an Historical abstraction, but rather from that of the people who lived during the age. It is an account of six individuals who lived during the MA's; Bodo, a Frankish Peasant; Marco Polo, the famous Venetian merchant; Madame Eglentyne, prioress of Chaucer; an anonymous middle-class Parisian housewife; and two English merchants, one engaged in the wool trade and the other a clothier in Essex. The author has illustrated various aspects of social life of the era by drawing on such sources as account books, diaries, letters, records, and wills. She starts the work with a previously unpublished essay entitled "The Precursors," which describes the barbarian conquest of Rome. In this, she describes the lives of three men, Ausonius, Sidonius and Fortunatus and uses them to foreshadow the life that would re-emerge in the Middle Ages. This is an historical gem! [1 copy available]
$ 6.50 + $ 3.19 media shipping.

PEOPLE OF THE FIRST CRUSADE
by Michael Foss. B&W photos and maps. Condition: Gently pre-read 1997 Caxton Editions (London) hardcover (pictorial boards) & DJ (in mylar jacket), first edition, first printing. Content: Foss tells the strange tale of Christendom's First Crusade (109799) to liberate Jerusalem and the Holy Land from Muslim rule. In an attempt to unify Latin Christendom and defuse the threat of a Muslim invasion from the East, Pope Urban II, in a speech at Clermont, France, in 1095, urged military leaders to form an army of liberation and free the Holy Land from Muslim control. The pope's speech sparked an excess of pious idealism that outstripped common sense: Invoking the protection of Jesus and the Virgin Mary, popular leaders like Peter the Hermit led the first Crusaders, unmilitary mobs of peasants, who indulged in a series of brutal atrocities (a sanguinary pogrom against the Jewish community of Mainz was only the most spectacular) before being scattered by Turkish forces. Knights like Stephen of Blois and Godfrey of Bouillon assembled a more professional but still motley Christian army, notable from the first for its violence and lack of discipline. Driven by an intense religious fervor, the Christian army conducted total war against Muslims and Jews, showing no mercy to the elderly, women, or children. They defeated the forces sent against them, captured the cities of Antioch and Nicaea, and concluded the campaign with a successful assault on the Holy City of Jerusalem. In each case, a wanton slaughter of the inhabitants followed. Through three years of costly struggle, faith that sometimes was little more than superstition sustained the Crusaders: After the fall of Antioch, a seer named Peter Bartholomew claimed to have uncovered the lance that pierced Jesus' side, which was believed to ensure the ultimate victory of the Crusaders. Foss's account points up the irony of this war, in which religion was pressed into the cause of violence and brigandry, and concludes that ``God--Allah--is not best served, if at all, by fighting.'' A sobering narrative, well told, of a shameful episode that epitomized religious bigotry and intolerance. (22 illustrations, 7 maps) [If you liked Kingdom of Heaven, you'll love this book. [1 copy available]
$ 9.50 + $ 3.29 media shipping.

REGARDING THE BORGO PIO: An Architectural View of a Renaissance Street in Rome
text & illustrations by Martha Sutherland. B&W sketches of buildings, building plans, streets. Condition: NEW 1996 University of Arkansas Press hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), first edition, first printing. Size: 9.3 x 10.2 x 0.6 (74 pages). Wonderful B&W sketches by author. Content: From the DJ: The Via di Borgo Pio is a teeming and colorful street just outside the Vatican, running between Saint Peter's Basilica and the ancient tomb of Hadrian. The district has been at the center of Rome's life for millennia and has been the setting for many dramas, including one of Nero's revels in which hundreds of Christians were crucified or burned. Born of papal fiat in 1562, it has retained its essential character ever since as a vital, merchant-class enclave of the city. In documenting the street's history, life, and architecture with drawings and narrative, Sutherland has attempted to capture the spirit of the street before its inevitable change. Regarding the Borgo Pio includes pencil renderings of doorways and decorative elements and a set of detailed elevation sketches of all the street's buildings made on the spot in the summer of 1992. Beautifully produced, Regarding the Borgo Pio becomes a visual celebration of a threatened way of life. BTW, the book cover is actually a light tan. No idea why it scans yellow. [1 copy available]
$ 14.50 + $ 3.19 media shipping..

RENAISSANCE HUMANISM 1300 - 1550
by Frederick B. Artz. Condition: UNREAD 1996 Kent State University Press Trade paperback, first edtition, second printing. Tiny edgewear and no tanning to pages that I can see. Content: A study of Renaissance philosophy by country. [1 copy available]
$ 7.59 + $ 2.89 media shipping.

RENAISSANCE LITERATURE (Literary Movements & Genres series)
edited by Stephen Thompson. Condition: NEW 2001 Greenhaven Press Trade Paperback, assumed first printing. Content: During the transitional period in Europe between the medieval and modern eras, the rise of humanism inspired new forms of poetry and prose. Prominent authors and poets of the time include Dante Aligheri, Petrarch, Geoffry Chaucer, Miguel de Cervantes, Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare. [1 copy available]
$ 3.59 + $ 3.09 media shipping.

THE RUNE POEM: Wisdom's Fulfillment, Prophecy's Reach
translated and annotated by Jim Paul. Christopher Steinhour color rune carvings. Condition: UNREAD 1996 Chronicle Books hardcover (pictorial boards) and DJ (in mylar jacket), first printing. Content: n the dark forests of medieveal Europe, runes--symbols inscribed on jewelry, tools, weapons, and boundary stones -- served as talismans in a mysterious time. The Rune Poem, originally wirtten in Anglo-Saxon during the early Middle Ages, gives modern-day romantics, medieval history enthusiasts, and spiritual seekers an alphabet verse for these ancient mystical inscriptions. 40 color illustrations. [1 copy available]
$ 4.59 + $ 3.29 media shipping.

SEVEN MEDIEVAL KINGS
by Joseph Dahmus. B&W maps. Condition: NEW 1994 Barnes & Noble hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), reissue, second printing. Content: Reviewer: "Dahmus, a prolific writer on things to do with the Middle Ages, first published this tome in 1968, and it was so successful that it spawned a 1972 sequel, "Seven Medieval Queens." The "Kings" in issue are: (1) Justinian the Law-Giver, last Roman Emperor to assert dominion in the West; (2) Charlemagne, Holy Roman Emperor, conqueror of Western Europe and patron of the arts; (3) Amin Rasheed, Arab caliph; (4) Emperor Frederick II, Wonder of the World; (5) Saint Louis IX of France; (6) Henry II of England; and (7) Louis XI, the last medieval king of France. Some of these mens' exploits would fill an entire book, and, indeed, biographies of Justinian, Frederick II, Henry II, and Louis XI are currently in print. But others, such as Rasheed and Saint Louis IX, are comparatively neglected, and still others, such as Charlemagne, deserve better treatment than they are presently getting. So Dahmus, a talented and erudite author, not only writes a nifty little series of essays, he also fills "gaps" for the modern reader." [1 copy available]
$ 7.59 + $ 3.19 media shipping.

SHIELD OF THREE LIONS (Historical Fiction)
by Pamela Kaufman. Condition: NEW 2002 Three Rivers Press Trade Paperback, second printing. Cover material is a bit flimsy and causes a slight "turn-up" to cover edges. Interior perfect. Content: The story follows the exploits of a Alix, a girl disguised as a boy, as she follows Richard the Lion Heart on his crusades. Exciting, hilarious, filled with adventure, and often ribald. Originally published in 1983. [1 copy available]
$ 3.50 + $ 3.09 media shipping. [Email for shipping charges on international orders.]

THE SWORD AND THE GRAIL: Of the Grail and the Templars and a True Discovery of America
by Andrew Sinclair. B&W photo section. Condition: 1992 Crown Publishers hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), first edition, first printing. Problem: some highlighting up to page 8 - and then the book was abandoned leaving the rest unread and clean & tight. Content: Historian and novelist Sinclair presents a daunting amount of research to support two controversial theses. First, he postulates that members of the Knights Templar, a medieval ascetic order that sought the Holy Grail and maintained a standing army in Jerusalem, fled to St. Clair Castle in Scotland after they were outlawed in the early 1300s and served as a direct connection to later Masonic orders. Second, drawing on the Templars' wealth and knowledge, Prince Henry St. Clair, aided by Venetian brothers Antonio and Nicolo Zen, also led an expedition to the New World, founding colonies in Nova Scotia and New England years before Columbus set sail. A direct descendant of Prince Henry, Sinclair has used primary sources and legends uncovered at Rosslyn Chapel, near Edinburgh in Scotland, to support these theories. They will be of interest mainly to history buffs and medievalists. This is a controversial book - some historians feel the research is based on secondary sources and is highly speculative. But it is a whopping good read. [1 copy available]
$ 8.50 + $ 3.19 media shipping.

UPPITY WOMEN OF MEDIEVAL TIMES (HB)
by Vicki Leon. B&W drawings illustrate. Condition: UNREAD 1998 MJF hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), 5th printing. Content: Historian Leon provides a lively history of a middle ages period filled not with homemakers and princes; but with feisty women who defied cultural expectations and built powerful lives. This is actually a series of biographical sketches of selected women; from an early Italian physician who developed a virginity-restoration technique to a fashion designer. Some of the "wild women" are: Nun turned top-gun Catalina de Erauso, who dueled, drank, and cross-dressed her way through Spain and South America; Chiyome, rent-a-ninja entrepreneur in sixteenth century Japan; Zubayda, an Arab queen with a Martha Stewart touch - her engineering projects and her parties made history; and English educator Hilda of Whitby, who founded monasteries, promoted local poets, and became a saint - all with equal panache. Excellent and entertaining. [1 copy available]
$ 4.50 + $ 3.19 media shipping.

UPPITY WOMEN OF MEDIEVAL TIMES (SC)
by Vicki Leon. B&W drawings illustrate. Condition: UNREAD 1998 Conari Press soft cover, third printing. Content: Historian Leon provides a lively history of a middle ages period filled not with homemakers and princes; but with feisty women who defied cultural expectations and built powerful lives. This is actually a series of biographical sketches of selected women; from an early Italian physician who developed a virginity-restoration technique to a fashion designer. Some of the "wild women" are: Nun turned top-gun Catalina de Erauso, who dueled, drank, and cross-dressed her way through Spain and South America; Chiyome, rent-a-ninja entrepreneur in sixteenth century Japan; Zubayda, an Arab queen with a Martha Stewart touch - her engineering projects and her parties made history; and English educator Hilda of Whitby, who founded monasteries, promoted local poets, and became a saint - all with equal panache. Excellent and entertaining. [1 copy available]
$ 3.50 + $ 3.19 media shipping.

THE WANING OF THE MIDDLE AGES: A Study of the Forms of Life, Thought and Art in France and the Netherlands in the Dawn of the Renaissance
by J. Huizinga. Condition: NEW 1954 Doubleday Anchor paperback edition, no printing given. Very pale short crease front cover near fore edge. Tiny edgewear. Interior perfect. Content: Reviewer: Huizinga paints a wonderfully colorful and descriptive picture of the 15th century, but one must be wary of a framework through which he interprets his marvelous work of scholarship. The very title belies this. First of all, that he creates such a demarcation of epoque/periodisation, leads one to wonder how he sees the progress of history as a whole. He sees the 15th century as the end of an era grasping and clinging to old forms. Thus, he (along with Jakob Burckhardt) has tempered our minds to see the Middle Ages as the proverbial "Dark Ages" and the Renaissance literally a rebirth from this darkness. It seems that does not give enough credit to the culture that was alive and well, rather than the bleak, autumnalism that he portrays. It is a great work, though! His command of the literature and history of the time is astounding, and his style is fresh and intriguing." One of those "must-read" history works. [1 copy available]
$ 5.79 + $ 2.94 media shipping..

WARRIORS OF MEDIEVAL TIMES
by John Matthews & Bob Stewart. Detailed color plates by James Field. Condition: UNREAD 1983 Firebird (UK) soft cover, no printing given. New edition. Content: This book covers the lives, legends and legacies of four great medieval warlords - Richard the Lion Heart, the Crusader King; Charlemagne, founder of the Holy Roman Empire; El Cid, champion of Spain; and Barbarossa, sourge of Europe. Related in exciting and authentic detail. Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
$ 10.00 + $ 3.29 media shipping..

WOMEN IN THE MIDDLE AGES
by Frances and Joseph Gies. B&W photos & drawings illustrate. Condition: UNREAD 1985 Barnes & Noble Trade Paperback, 6th printing. Although unread, the pages have medium tanning to page edges. Content: This book corrects the omissions of traditional history by focusing on the lives, expectations, and accomplishments of medievel women. Seven women represented come from different classes, countries, and centuries: Hildegard of Bingen (12th-century German nun & mystic); Blanche of Castile (Queen of France); Eleanof de Montfort; Agnes li Patiniere (Flemish textile worker); Alice Beynt (English peasant woman); Margherita Datini (wife of an Italian merchant); and Margaret Paston (Tudor England). Readable history. [1 copy available]
$ 3.95 + $ 2.94 media shipping.