Mysteries of the Middle Ages: And the Beginning of the Modern World (Hinges of History) |  | Author: Thomas Cahill
Publisher: Anchor
Category: Book
List Price: $22.00
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Seller: broadybooks
Rating:  30 reviews
Sales Rank: 60056
Media: Paperback
Pages: 368
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.4
Dimensions (in): 8.9 x 6.1 x 1.1
ISBN: 0385495560
Dewey Decimal Number: 909.07
EAN: 9780385495561
ASIN: 0385495560
Publication Date: March 4, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
From the bestselling author of How the Irish Saved Civilization, a fascinating look at how medieval thinkers created the origins of modern intellectual movements.
After the long period of decline known as the Dark Ages, medieval Europe experienced a rebirth of scholarship, art, literature, philosophy, and science and began to develop a vision of Western society that remains at the heart of Western civilization today, from the entry of women into professions that had long been closed to them to the early investigations into alchemy that would form the basis of experimental science. On visits to the great cities of Europe-monumental Rome; the intellectually explosive Paris of Peter Abelard and Thomas Aquinas; the hotbed of scientific study that was Oxford; and the incomparable Florence of Dante and Giotto-acclaimed historian Thomas Cahill brilliantly captures the spirit of experimentation, the colorful pageantry, and the passionate pursuit of knowledge that built the foundations for the modern world.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 30
 A rose by any other name is still a rose March 13, 2008
B. Simmons (Skokie, Illinois)
53 out of 55 found this review helpful
This is a well-written, beautifully illustrated book. The treatment of the footnotes is unusual and eminently readable; they are on the same page, rather than being relegated to the end of the book, and not in the usual 6 or 7 pt fine print of a scholarly treatise. The author obviously knows his subject matter, but his writing is more conversational than pedagogical. However, buyer beware. If you've read the hardcover "Mysteries of the Middle Ages: The Rise of Feminism, Science, and Art from the Cults of Catholic Europe," don't buy this so-called reprint edition. They've simply changed the subtitle to "And the Beginning of the Modern World." It's not the additional volume on the making of the modern world promised on page iii of the hardcover edition.
Thoughtful, entertaining intellectual history December 17, 2009
Avid Reader (USA)
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
I was stunned by the wide range of ratings that this book has received from general-interest readers. It stands in stark contrast to the overwhelmingly positive ratings from reviewers. I'll comment on what happened (in my opinion) at the end of this review.
I think the book offers tremendous insights into the development of European culture and intellectual and religious life during the Middle Ages. It begins with Europe's roots in ancient Greece and Rome, but rather than taking the easy way out by listing a bunch of wars and and proto-European nation-states, the author looks at the intellectual threads that emerged and the thinkers who created them. He shows how Greece's intellectual ideas and Rome's more practical way of thinking (and passion for life) formed early Christianity, and then led to the split between the Orthodox Church and the Holy Roman Empire-style church.
Then he takes a deeper look at how that HRE-style of religion was changed by extraordinarily brave and thoughtful people over the course of more than 300 years: people such as Gregory the Great, Hildegard of Bingen, Heloise, Eleanor of Acquitaine, Francis of Assisi, Roger Bacon, Thomas Aquinas, and Giotto. He shows how each of these people contributed to changing their world...and our world.
And when I say "show," I mean show. I can't think of a book of history that's better illustrated than this volume. My greatest frustration with history books comes when I'm reading an exciting description of a battle formation, a costume, a town, or whatever, and there's no picture. In fact, there's almost never a picture. This book, by contrast, has all the right pictures -- paintings, mosaics, maps, cathedrals, etc. Any publisher worried about the future of selling books should use this visually stimulating book as a model.
A few highlights. Hildegard. I'd never heard of nuns who were sealed up in cathedrals as young girls, literally entombed for Christ. She endured that environment by becoming, arguably, the best-educated woman in history up to that time. Through her intellect and bravery became a influential writer and religious leader.
The tragedy of Heloise and Peter Abelard is a poignant chapter that is brought to life with passion, pity, and respect for how the thwarted lovers created something that endured beyond their lives.
Yet, the author is equally at home explaining the thinking of Plato, the religious fervor of Assisi, and the scientific experiments of Bacon.
Now, back to the reason for the wide-ranging reviews. I think that some people rated the book poorly because they disagreed with one of the author's opinions. Interestingly, they have, in some cases, misread the book. One person who gave the book a "1" said it was a Catholic apology; clearly, that person didn't read the last chapter of the book. Another person gave it a "1" because that last chapter came down so hard on Catholics. Another gave it a poor rating because it criticized women, when I would argue that it highlighted the surprisingly important role that women had in changing the course of history. Other reviewers gave it a "1" or a "2" because they didn't like the author's discursions into modern-day affairs. Those asides might be annoying or distracting, but they are hardly the substance of the book, and they certainly don't detract from its intellectual rigor.
In short, this book a fascinating glimpse into the evolution of religious thinking during the Middle Ages, as well as the intellectual lines that it supported and stunted.
A pleasure. February 25, 2010
David Marshall (Seattle area)
I agree with many critical comments below. Cheap shots at Bush have become dated, even if one agrees with the substance of Cahill's remarks, which I do not. If you know much history, you're liable to catch Cahill up in errors from time to time -- I especially found his description of the Crusades problematic, usually because he buys old cliches that emphasize the West's culpability and promote a rather naive image of their opponents. (See Stark's recent revisionist work, God's Batallions.) Some of his jokes probably should have been recalled before they crashed and burned.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed the book as thoroughly as any for the past year. Having the book on tape, I looked forward to getting back in the car, and sometimes leaned back and listened for a few pages after reaching my destination.
Cahill's prose is smooth, lucid, rich, and full of humor. His method of focusing on a few fascinating people to describe the era works as well as any method could -- a bit like Chesterton's treatment of St. Francis or Charles Dickens. One does begin to get to know those few people.
If you love good writing, and would like get to know the heroes of this story, don't let incidental defects keep you from enjoying a wonderful and enlightening read.
Great Service April 5, 2010
Pat /Web Lady (Ohio)
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
Product was are described. Service was speedy. I liked that seller let me know when the product was shipped and what method he used. Would deal with him again.
Wonderful and enlightening read March 27, 2009
Bel Italia (Providence, RI USA)
1 out of 4 found this review helpful
This is not just a history book, but rather an enjoyable treatise on culture, values, customs, feminism, history, philosophy and theology. It is a marvelous and enjoyable synthesis of that period in history as well as its antecedent periods of western civilization.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 30
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