Women's Books of Hours in Medieval England

The book of hours is said to have been the most popular book owned by the laity in the later Middle Ages. Women were often patrons or owners of such books, which were usually illustrated: indeed, the earliest surviving exemplar made in England was designed and illustrated by William de Brailes in Oxford in the mid-thirteenth century, for an unknown young lady whom he portrayed in the book several times.

The Scots and Medieval Arthurian Legend

Scotland's importance in Arthurian legend is undeniable: it was the traditional homeland of key figures such as Gawain; its landscape is still dotted with Arthurian associations, and many modern attempts to locate a historical Arthur end up in Scotland. Nevertheless, Scotland's complex relationship with Arthurian legend has been surprisingly neglected, and this volume is the first to be dedicated to it. The essays cover the period between the appearance in ca. 1136 of Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae and the accession of James VI to the English throne as James I in 1603.

Henry II - A Medieval Soldier at War 1147 - 1189

Intended as a military biography, this book studies the scope of Henry Plantagenet's warfare during his tenure as count of Anjou, duke of Normandy, and king of England. Relying heavily upon medieval documents, it analyzes his generalship and reexamines his place amongst the important military commanders in English history.

England Before Elizabeth

The first claim the Middle Ages makes on our interest is that of piety. We owe so much to it; the men of the Middle Ages transmitted to us both the learning of the pre-Christian ages and the civilization of Christianity. Over and above that they had their own gifts to give us, and in this country before all others it is our medieval ancestors who have made us what we are. We have never broken the living links which bind us to them; their words, their thoughts, their habits, are ours; they have set their stamp on our roads, our fields, our hedges, our districts, on our buildings and our building, on our laws and our law.

Prentice Alvin

Orson Scott Card - (Alvin Maker #3) - Prentice Alvin

A country schoolteacher and the child of a runaway slave find their destinies entwined with that of Alvin Miller, whose talent for "making" has marked him for destruction by the evil force known as the Unmaker. Card's epic tale of a magical, alternate America demonstrates his skill in graceful storytelling. Recommended, along with Seventh Son and Red Prophet , for most fantasy collections.