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. ************************************************************************ NOTICE - This file is a collection of various messages having a common theme that I have collected from my reading of the various computer networks. Some messages date back to 1989, some may be as recent as yesterday. This file is part of a collection of files called Stefan's Florilegium. These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org I have done a limited amount of editing. Messages having to do with separate topics were sometimes split into different files and sometimes extraneous information was removed. For instance, the message IDs were removed to save space and remove clutter. The comments made in these messages are not necessarily my viewpoints. I make no claims as to the accuracy of the information given by the individual authors. Please respect the time and efforts of those who have written these messages. The copyright status of these messages is unclear at this time. If information is published from these messages, please give credit to the originator(s). Thank you, Mark S. Harris AKA: THLord Stefan li Rous Stefan at florilegium.org ************************************************************************ 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 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 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: 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 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" 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 Edited by Mark S. Harris intro-books-msg Page 12 of 12