intro-books-msg - 6/8/99
Books recommended as an Introduction to the Middle Ages and Renaissance.
NOTE: See also the files: languages-msg, literacy-msg, 4-newcomers-msg, names-FAQ, newcomers-msg, SCA-intro-art, callig-beg-msg, Getting-an-AoA-art.
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From: nusbache at epas.utoronto.ca (Aryk Nusbacher)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Intro Book Recommendations
Date: 26 Oct 1993 11:27:26 -0400
Organization: EPAS Computing Facility, University of Toronto
mchance at nyx.cs.du.edu (Michael Chance) writes:
>What I would like is around 3-5 books that we could recommend to new
>people as a starting point for their research and re-creations of the
>Middle Ages and Renaissance, giving them an introduction to medieval
>history, social structure and customs, arts, etc.
An introduction to the ordinary life of an extraordinary upper-class
person:
Georges Duby. _William Marshal the Flower of Chivalry_. Richard
Howard, Trans. New York: Pantheon, 1985. 155 pp.
An introduction to the extraordinary lives of ordinary lower-class
people:
Natalie Zemon Davis. _The Return of Martin Guerre_. Cambridge, MA,
Harvard University Press: 1983.
Aryk "annale retentive" Nusbacher
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
From: mittle at watson.ibm.com (Arval d'Espas Nord)
Subject: Re: Intro Book Recommendations
Date: Tue, 26 Oct 1993 16:28:19 GMT
Organization: IBM T.J. Watson Research
Mikjal asked:
> What I would like is around 3-5 books that we could recommend to new
> people as a starting point for their research and re-creations of the
> Middle Ages and Renaissance...
I recommend Maurice Keen's "Chivalry".
===========================================================================
Arval d'Espas Nord mittle at watson.ibm.com
From: g_duperault at venus.twu.edu
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: re:intro book recommendations
Date: 26 Oct 93 16:12:45 +600
Organization: Texas Woman's University
Greetings,
As a well written, well illustrated (and you'll find pictures attract
your newbies more than printed words) and documented work dealing with the
middle ages and renaissance I recommend the "History of Private Life" series,
or at least the first three (four?) volumes. Georges Duby is one of the
editors, sorry I don't have my copies here at the university with me to give
you more detailed information. The volumes look heavy and scholarly, but they
are quite easy to read and fantastic when it comes to details of evryday life.
Be warned, though, they aren't cheap. I picked them up through a book
club several years ago at something like $35 each.
Avwye Mehr-nasim
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
From: KGORMAN at ARTSPAS.watstar.uwaterloo.ca
Subject: Re: Intro Book Recommendations
Organization: University of Waterloo
Date: Thu, 28 Oct 1993 17:38:19 GMT
mchance at nyx.cs.du.edu (Michael Chance) writes:
>What I would like is around 3-5 books that we could recommend to new
>people as a starting point for their research and re-creations of the
>Middle Ages and Renaissance, giving them an introduction to medieval
>history, social structure and customs, arts, etc. My criteria (and
>these are just mine - your mileage may vary) are:
Have a look at _Western_Europe_in_the_Middle_Ages:_A_Short_History, by
Joseph R. Strayer published by Waveland Press, Inc., Illinois, 1982
I picked it up because it really is short, less than 200 pages, and because
I wanted an overview of the Middle Ages.
It's not perfect. It covers from the Roman Empire to the Rennaisance with
much of the material on the 12th and 13th centuries. It concentrates on
medieval institutions and medieval religion because the author figured they
were basic in the study of any civilization. I would have preferred to have
more information on lifestyles and cultures but that would not have been a
short book.
I'm not qualified to evaluate it's accuracy but it was being used a
university text book so it can't be too bad.
It isn't the easiest book to read, I bogged down and gave up after the 12th
century, but the stuff before that wasn't too bad. Being short if someone
finds it boring they can just skip a couple paragraphs and be onto the next
topic. There wasn't enough jargon for me to notice any.
Eyrny
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
kgorman at artspas
From: ck290 at cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Chandra L. Morgan-Henley)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Intro Book Recommendations
Date: 28 Oct 1993 23:33:35 GMT
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio (USA)
For a VERY BROAD, VERY BASIC overview of life in the Middle Ages,
Time-Life Books published, a few years ago, a big picture book
called something like "How People Lived" --- don't quote me on
that, I only saw a copy for like 10 minutes. But most any
public library should have it. It has lots and lots of pictures
along with descriptive text. Most of the pictures are drawings
of houses, etc., with some little insets of photos of real objects.
It covers the history of the world, starting with the Stone Age,
and with plenty of different times/places in our period.
Is this what you were looking for, for your newbies who don't
know what "The Middle Ages" means?
Cara The Unbalanced
From: pinchefs at castor.hahnemann.edu (Carol Pinchefsky)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Intro Book Recommendations
Date: 29 Oct 1993 03:48:50 GMT
Organization: Hahnemann University
Hi-ho! I would like to recommend a series of books:
"Life in a Medieval Castle"
"Life in a Medieval Towne"
"Life in a Medieval Village"
by Joseph and Frances Gies.
The books are interesting, informative, fun. I would consider them
more entertaining than scholarly, but the references are sound.
See thee anon. Carol/Rose
From: sclark at epas.utoronto.ca (Susan Clark)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Intro Book Recommendations
Date: 30 Oct 1993 16:59:49 -0400
Organization: EPAS Computing Facility, University of Toronto
For anyone interested in medieval women, I'd
recommend Margaret Wade Labarge's _Small Sound of the Trumpet:
Women in Medieval Life_ (Hamish Hamiilton, 1986)
Accessible without being non-scholarly, and it will clear up a lot of
misconceptions about the subject.
Nicolaa/Susan
sclark at epas.utoronto.ca
Date: Tue, 10 Jun 1997 22:23:03 -0500 (CDT)
From: Heidi J Torres <hjt at tenet.edu>
To: ansteorra at eden.com
Subject: Re: NEW TOPIC! "Great Books for the SCA Tradition"
Greetings from Mari!
On Tue, 10 Jun 1997 Mjccmc01 at aol.com wrote:
> What books do you view as vital reading
> for "cultured, educated" SCA members? Include both period and non-period
> works, and try to strive for works that have a somewhat broad scope (i.e.,
> "costuming"as opposed to "techniques of finishing sleeve hems in East
> Slovonia during the Great Famine of 1132.") Don't forget to include
> literature. So, pick a book (or several) and defend your choice.
OK, I'll take up that gauntlet. Let me have a look at my bookshelves....
Basics (books I recommend to anyone interested in SCA, recreation,
history, etc.) These tend to be very readable and open certain grimy
windows that our often Victorian ideals of the Middle Ages often leave
curtained.
_History Laid Bare_, Richard Zaks: This covers antiquity to the modern
age. This book is comprised of contemporary accounts of love, sex and
other bizarre practices through the ages. Especially valuable for such
historical tidbits as one of the Popes (a "bad Pope" one must assume)
buying a thriving high-class brothel from the deposed Queen of Naples,
the various penances for practices which society generally thinks of as
normal, and accounts of the trials and executions of some men and the
animals they loved....yes, both of them. Good history, and highly
entertaining.
_The Medieval Underworld_, Andrew McCall: Great description of the
evolution of medieval law from Roman and barbarian laws, church law, and
the groups of people who broke them all: mercenaries, outlaws,
prostitutes, thieves (there really was a Thieves Guild in France! -- and
you thought that was only in fantasy games....), homosexuals, Jews, etc.
A *must* for every medievalist's library.
_Eyewitness to History_, John Carey, ed. Along the same lines of
_History Laid Bare_, a collection of contemporary accounts of historical
events, from an eyewitness account to the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius up to
the Mai Lai massacre in Vietnam. Includes such medieval gems as an
account of the 1381 Peasants' Revolt in England, the Battle of Crecy, the
murder of Thomas a Becket and memoirs of the Inquisition.
_Sex in History_ and _Food in History_, by Reay Tannahill. Both
excellent books, not restricted to the medieval and Renaissance period.
You can learn alot about the world views of various times and cultures --
and about people -- by investigating a couple of the basic needs and
desires of humanity.
Period Specific Books
_The World of the Celts_, by Simon James. The best all-around book on
early Celtic life and culture I've seen. Great illustrations, including
photographs of a recreated Celtic farmstead and animals which have been
"bred back" to an approximation of their period forebearers.
Period Books (not in chronological order)
The Icelandic Sagas, esp, _Egil's Saga_ and _Njal's Saga_. Snorri
Sturleson wrote _Egil's Saga_ and his writing "voice" is still strong
across the ages. I personally enjoy the style of _Egil's..._ more than
_Njal's_, but _Njal's Saga_ is the quintessential Icelandic saga. Both
are must-reads, in my humble opinion, Viking persona or no.
Other entertaining ones: _Erbygja Saga_ -- lots of ghosts!; _Orkneyinga
Saga_ -- the history of the settlement of the Orkneys. Some good poetry,
interesting characters and just plain wierdness here and there; _Laxdaela
Saga_, another classic; and the Vinland Sagas, if only for Freydis, one of
the meanest she-dogs in the Viking World.
_The Decamaron_, by Boccaccio: Chaucer based the style of his
"Canterbury Tales" on this gem of literature, but there's loads more
stories. Also, they're not in poetic form so they might be easier for
one to read. They are, in a word, hilarious. Incredibly enjoyable and
magnificent (as well as underused) fodder for story-tellers,
entertainers, dramatists, etc. You will learn more about medieval life,
manners, world view and sense of humor than anywhere else.
_The Epigrams of Martial_ (by Martial, of course): evil gleanings from
one of the sharpest wits in Rome -- I think of him as an ill-tempered
Oscar Wilde in a toga. Enjoy the readings, and be glad he isn't alive
and in the SCA today......or maybe not.....
_The Metamorphoses_, by Ovid (Publius Ovidius Nasso). Ovid's renderings
of many of the Greek myths which became implanted in Roman culture and
thus, into ours.
*Side Note* Medieval and Renaissance culture (and our own culture, until
very recently, alas) was a melange of Greco-Roman and Judeo-Christian
"myth" and legend. Most of the literature of our recreation period is
profoundly influenced by this. To get a real grip on what authors and
poets were talking about in the middle ages and Renaissance, one needs to
have a similar frame of reference. Therefore, it's helpful to read
books on the Greek myths (if you haven't already) and also....
_The Bible_. Oh, okay, you don't have to read the Bible, per se. Just
the good parts. The heroes, the battles, the prophets and prophetesses,
the miracles, the parables. A quick look through a book of medieval art
will show you what you might need to bone up on. Y'know, all those
Annunciations, Creations, Davids, Moses, Weddings at Cana, etc.
Whew! That's enough for right now -- I'll have to think about the rest
of them.
(Somebody save me a copy of this so the next time someone asks me about
it, I'll know....)
Mari
Date: Tue, 10 Jun 1997 23:39:58 -0500
From: SOC STUDIES <camlewis at swbell.net>
To: ansteorra at eden.com
Subject: Re: NEW TOPIC! "Great Books for the SCA Tradition"
"Etiquette for Renaissance Gentlemen" is my first pick
by Baldesar Castiglione, Penguin ISBN 0-14-600174-5 95 cents U.S.
It is CHEAP and a very good insight into the Renaissance school of
thought for upper class men. It was written in 1528 and covers topics
on love, war, women, politics, art,and religion...
Good for stick jocks...only 60 pages...might even help people find out
how to get along with each other, who knows?
ALREK KANIN
From: zarlor at acm.org (Lenny Zimmermann)
To: ansteorra at eden.com
Subject: Re: NEW TOPIC! "Great Books for the SCA Tradition"
Date: Wed, 11 Jun 1997 15:03:05 GMT
On Tue, 10 Jun 1997 23:39:58 -0500, ALREK KANIN wrote:
>"Etiquette for Renaissance Gentlemen" is my first pick
>by Baldesar Castiglione, Penguin ISBN 0-14-600174-5 95 cents U.S.
>
>It is CHEAP and a very good insight into the Renaissance school of
>thought for upper class men. It was written in 1528 and covers topics
>on love, war, women, politics, art,and religion...
>
>Good for stick jocks...only 60 pages...might even help people find out
>how to get along with each other, who knows?
I would also like to recommend the full version of this book for those
with Renaissance personas. (Especially if you have a persona who is a
courtier or diplomat.) The original text is "The Book of the
Courtier", by Conte Baldassare Castiglione. Penguin is also printing
this one. As mentioned it was published in 1528, but M. Castiglione
started writing this piece a decade or two earlier. If you haven't
read any period works this can be a bit tough to get through with long
run-on sentences, but worth the try.
For those who are courtiers I would also highly recommend a book
titled "Renaissance Diplomacy". It covers the history of diplomacy
through the Middle Ages and the Renaissance and beyond. I found it
very fascinating and it's great for insight into some of the mindset.
(Especially if you are doing Ren. Italian. THERE was a world driven by
politics and diplomacy!)
Finally, in this vein, I'd also recommend a book called, I believe,
"The Renaissance Reader". It is a collection of parts of works by Ren.
Italian authors from Petrarch on into the 16th Century and is
excellent for everything from an insight into daily life, behavior and
etiquette, and family life to diplomacy and philosophies.
I don't have either of the last two books with me, so I can't pass
along the ISBN and author's from them, but I'll try to look it up this
evening.
Honos Servio,
Lionardo Acquistapace, Bjornsborg
(mka Lenny Zimmermann, San Antonio)
zarlor at acm.org
Date: Wed, 11 Jun 1997 03:32:33 -0500
To: ansteorra at eden.com
From: gunnora at bga.com (Gunnora Hallakarva)
Subject: Re: NEW TOPIC! "Great Books for the SCA Tradition"
Siobhan asked about what books we considered essential basic SCA reading.
I'd like to suggest a few.
First, I'd start with William Manchester's "A World Lit Only By Fire" (
Boston: Little, Brown & Co., 1992) This is an excellent introduction to the
period we embrace, written for a popular audience, so it's also easy to
read. One of the hardest things for us to do is to actually get a glimpse
of the medieval world view. It is almost impossible for us today to grasp
what it was like to live in the dark, surrounded by forests that were black
"mirk-woods",and the sheer terror people lived with at the back of their
minds all the time. There were literally wolves at the door, disease was an
Act of God, and most people were powerless to affect any change in their
lives. Counterbalancing this was a beleif in the supernatural and in
religion that was incredibly intense, and not often attainable by those with
a modern Western scientific education today. Manchester provides a good
place to start getting a feel for the life of medieval people.
My next book on the "required reading list" is the Bible. Yep. I really
did just say that. Why? Because so much of medieval life revolved around
Catholicism and Christianity. The stories of the Bible were part of almost
everyone's daily lives, they contributed to their dramas such as the passion
plays, the literature and scholastic thought all hinged upon it... I suggest
that if you haven't actually read the Book cover to cover, say, since 20
years ago, it's a great idea to sit down and read it as LITERATURE. It's
amazing how much stuiff is there that I had forgotten, and I was a bible
scholar growing up.
In the same vein, get any good edition of the Lives of the Saints. Again,
these stories strongly influenced so much of the belief of the period.
Another I would recommend is obscure and I suspect most have never seen it,
yet I find that Norbert Elias's "The History of Manners" (New york:
Pantheon. 1978) did more for my understanding of medieval feasting
conditions than any SCA feast I've ever been to! It is the little things
like period etiquette that make the persona of a Lion of Ansteorra
believable. I suspect that most folks would be astounded at what types of
etiquette suggestions were being made in period... and if there's an
etiquette book telling folks not to do "X", then "X" is what a bunch of
people are doing with gusto. If you get a chance to look at Elias's book, do so!
Next, as general introductory SCA reading, I'd recommend Joseph and Frances
Gies's books, "Life in a Medieval Castle" (New York: Harper & Row, 1974) and
"Life in a Medieval City" (New York: Harper, 1969). Again, in order to
place oneself in persona, youhave to know something of the world and home in
which that persona lived. The Gies's books give a great introduction that
is written for a popular audience, so you don't have to hold advanced
degrees to read these books. Both are very useful, but also very
entertaining reading.
The last book on my starter list is Georges Duby's "A History of Private
Life: II. Revelations of the Medieval World" (Cambridge, MA: Harvard Univ
Press, 1988). This book cost me an arm and a leg, but it is extremely
worthwhile. Again, the information about medieval people's daily lives and
belief systems is what you will find in this book, and I think this
information is what really makes a persona believable, and enjoyable for
one's self and others. Since Duby's work is translated into English, I was
really surprised to find that it was actually quite readable.
This is just the list of very basic stuff, which I think applies pretty much
to us all, whether you are a Viking trader at Hedeby or a lady in waiting in
Queen Elizabeth's court. Of course, I have another list of stuff that would
be Reading List Number Two if you want to have a Viking persona:
<snip of huge list of books for Norse Vikings>
Gunnora Hallakarva
Herskerinde
From: njones at ix.netcom.com
Date: Wed, 11 Jun 1997 16:24:10 -0500
To: ansteorra at eden.com
Subject: Re: NEW TOPIC! "Great Books for the SCA Tradition"
I only have a few favorite books to add to the disucssion,
unlike some...[Hi Gunnora!]
These are from memory, so please forgive me. My copies of
these books disappeared during my last move. *sigh*
"Two Memoirs of Renaissance Florence", ed. and transleated
by Gene Brucker. A very revealing look at two very different
men from Renaissance Florence, both of whom wrote diaries.
Very interesting read, quite exciting in parts, and contains
footnotes explaing nifty stuff like the weight of gold in a
florin, ducat and such, and it's equivalent in 1976 dollars.
"Renaissance Society", ed and translated by Gene Brucker.
Also a very cool book taken from period court transcripts,
diaries and other sources. Takes the form of brief excerpts
organized on different topic areas like sex, marriage, death,
and others.
"The Autobiography of Benevunto Cellini." Cellini was a
wonderful goldsmith, but one of the best gifts he left us
was his diary. Probably embellished a bit (okay, maybe more
than a bit) by the author, it is a wonderful look into the
life of the late Renaissance. It's a wonderful read, and
often very funny and exciting!
Gio.
From: Mjccmc01 at aol.com
Date: 6/11/97
To: ansteorra at eden.com
RE>"Great Books for the SCA Tradition"
Well, since I started this thread, I guess I should post. These are the
general broad titles, useful for a good basic understanding of the period.
Non-period works:
The Daughter of Time, by Josephine Tey. This book is a murder mystery, but
is one of the best, least painful introductions to historical research there
is. Please, read this book. A&S documentation will seem much less
burdensome and perhaps even (gasp!) fun.
Seeing Through Clothes, by Anne Holland. Hollander is an art historian with
a special interest in the difference between the depiction of clothes in art
and clothes in reality. The book contains some very useful commentary on
artistic conventions of the day and how they play into the depiction of
clothes. A must for really serious costumers - whether you agree or not, it
makes you think about your sources very critically. The chapter on
historical costuming in movies is great. Lots of good pictures (B&W)
A History of Private Life, Vols. I-III, edited by Phillip Arles and George
D'uby. Fabulous for information like, how many people most likely slept in
one room, etc. Exceptionally well done, and often on sale at Barnes &
Nobles.
A History of Her Own: Women in Europe from Prehistory to the Present. Full
of really fascinating information. The introduction alone is worth the price
of book for the explanation of some of the research methods used.
Founders of the Western World: The Civilization of Greece and Rome, by
Michael Grant. Useful in that is discusses Greece and Rome in terms of their
effect on our particular time period.
In Search of the Dark Ages, by Michael Grant. A very good general work on
the early period.
Timetables of History. This is just a great all purpose reference work for
when you have an idea as to the general time frame something happened, but
need to pin it down to a year.
The Knight, the Lady, and the Priest, by Georges D'uby. Interesting
examination of how relations between the sexes gradually became regulated by
the church. Especially interesting because it views the church as protecting
the position of women instead of the more common "church as oppressor" view.
Love in the Western World, by Georges D'uby. How our notions of romantic
love have evolved.
Imagining the Middle Ages, Ed. by Norman Cantor. Not, as you might suppose
from the title, a survey of the SCA. A collection of essays discussing
various school of historical interpretation and how different attitudes
toward the Middle Ages emerged. It can be really helpful in evaluating other
works.
A History of Medieval Christianity: Prophecy & Order, by Jeffrey Burton
Russell. This has the great advantage of being a brief but not superficial
discussion of the role of religion in medieval life.
Several books on the military, knighthood, etc., that I'm going to let Sir
Galen discuss (Nicolli, not Bristol).
In the interest of brevity, here are some "anything by" authors:
C.S. Lewis. When he wasn't writing Christian fiction or commentary, he did
some wonderful medival/Renaissance scholarship.
A.L. Rowse. Very readable social historian, especially England. I
particularly like Elizabethan England: The Life of the Society, because it
lets you know all about who had illegitimate children, etc. Great for
gossipy persona play for Elizabethan types.
This isn't even close to all of my life, and I haven't even gotten to the
period works. I'm going to have to do this piecemeal.
Bookishly yours,
Siobhan
P.S. Gunnora, did you really like A World Lit Only by Fire? I thought
Manchester should have stuck with 20th century America myself. SB
Date: Wed, 11 Jun 1997 21:34:10 -0500 (CDT)
From: Heidi J Torres <hjt at tenet.edu>
To: ansteorra at eden.com
Subject: Re: "Great Books for the SCA Tradition"
Greetings from Mari!
On Wed, 11 Jun 1997 Mjccmc01 at aol.com wrote:
> Non-period works:
>
> The Daughter of Time, by Josephine Tey. This book is a murder mystery, but
> is one of the best, least painful introductions to historical research there
> is. Please, read this book. A&S documentation will seem much less
> burdensome and perhaps even (gasp!) fun.
I'll weigh in on this one as well. A high school English teacher
assigned this to our class -- it was eye-opening. Excellent detective
work. Siobhan is correct -- you will see history and research with
different eyes after reading this book. Quick read, nicely done.
Mari
Date: Thu, 12 Jun 1997 00:22:19 -0500
To: ansteorra at eden.com
From: gunnora at bga.com (Gunnora Hallakarva)
Siobhan said:
>P.S. Gunnora, did you really like A World Lit Only by Fire? I thought
>Manchester should have stuck with 20th century America myself. SB
Actually, yes... but as I said, because it is a place to start looking at
the world view. Some folks need to be eased into the concept.
Of course, the all time best world-view book I've ever read was:
Hastrup, Kirsten. Culture and History in Medieval Iceland: An
Anthropoligical Analysis of Structure and Change. Oxford: Clarendon. 1985.
ISBN 0-19-823250-0.
Which completely explains in detail the way the Icelanders perceived time
and space and how this affected their society, law and lives. The Hastrup
book would be valuable even to non-Vikings, because it explains how people
viewed time in any society where time-keeping devices weren't present...
which includes the peasantry everywhere until late in our period. We assume
so much based on our modern world view... for instance, most of us view a
day as beginning at midnight and extending til midnight, or otherwise from
morning to morning, but most of Northern Europe viewed a day as beginning at
sundown and extending to the next sundown, hence the reason we now have New
Year's Eve, May Eve, All Hallows Eve etc... these festivals were originally
one day, beginning at sundown and continuing through sunrise and the next
whole day. Modern time experience has us now experiencing these items as an
evening plus one day holidays. I'm presently working on a Viking Answer
Lady article on Viking time-reckoning based in large part ofn this book. I
highly reccommnd it though to everyone with an early persona!
This next best world-view book after that is Paul Bauschatz "The Well and
the Tree" which examines the Germanic ideas of persent/past/future, fate,
law, and language.
Gunnora Hallakarva
Herskerinde
From: "Jeanne Stapleton" <jstaplet at adm.law.du.edu>
Organization: Univ. of Denver, College of Law
To: Mjccmc01 at aol.com, ansteorra at eden.com
Date: Wed, 18 Jun 1997 08:54:32 -700 MST
Subject: Re: "Great Books for the SCA Tradition"
Greetings from Berengaria, lifelong bibliophile!
> Well, since I started this thread, I guess I should post. These are
> the general broad titles, useful for a good basic understanding of
> the period.
>
> Non-period works:
>
> The Daughter of Time, by Josephine Tey. This book is a murder
> mystery, but is one of the best, least painful introductions to
> historical research there is. Please, read this book. A&S
> documentation will seem much less burdensome and perhaps even
> (gasp!) fun.
This book is a must-read; it will totally change your thinking about
sources and their acceptability. It's *short*, which can be an
incentive to waders in the pool of historical reading (those who
discovered the delights of the SCA via gaming or an alternative
fantasy group). After all these years, it still grabs me on each
re-read.
[many other excellent titles snipped for brevity]
I'd recommend one I read recently and just checked out for a re-read
and for writing a review:
_Worldly Goods_, Lisa Jardine. An excellent book about how values
changed to the material during the Renaissance. The author explores,
in various chapters, themes such as the amount of intricate detail
that went into representing material surroundings in Renaissance art;
and what drove collectorship and patronage.
Countess Berengaria de Montfort de Carcassonne, OP
Barony of Caerthe
Kingdom of the Outlands
<the end>