Overview

Once regarded by historians as a period of intellectual stagnation, the Middle Ages were actually a period of extraordinary technological innovation. This romp through the inventions of the period tells the story of the first appearance of dozens of items of lasting significance. From the invention of eyeglasses (by a now-forgotten layperson who sought to keep his methods secret, the better to profit from them) to the creation of the fork (at first regarded as an instrument of diabolical perversion but embraced when it helped people handle another invention of the age, pasta), this volume, a combination of pictures and text, is a fitting tribute to a misunderstood era that gave us countless items from which we still benefit today.

Full Product Details

9780231128124

Table of Contents

Reviews

[Frugoni] deftly fashions a narrative that takes readers on an informative, often charming and wryly humorous, journey... What particularly distinguishes this volume, though, is the more than 100 exquisite illustrations that aptly represent social and religious attitudes toward the inventions and innovations of the time... Highly recommended. -- Choice This enchanting tale, masterfully recounted by a pre-eminent historian of the Middle Ages, reveals the fertile imagination and extraordinary inventiveness of a period whose legacy to the modern world included not just books, banks, and buttons, but also eyeglasses, playing cards, pasta, table forks, underwear, the mechanical clock, and domesticated cats inside the house. -- Library Journal Written in an engaging and open style with many delightful color illustrations showing the various objects, the book examines such commonplace items as forks, glazed windows, paper watermarks, rudders and wheelbarrows, placing them in their medieval context with the support of contemporary sources. -- History Magazine It is likely that this book will lead new students to develop a fascination with the Middle Ages while introducing seasoned scholars to topics they have overlooked. -- Michael E. Hoenicke Moore, Southern Illinois University, Speculum A thoroughly engaging look at the slow, subtle development of civilization. -- Dan Smith, Blue Ridge Business Journal These contents provide a scholarly overview of the changes evinced by era while retaining a readable style and refreshing pace. -- Gray Pleuth, Bloomsbury Review

[Frugoni] deftly fashions a narrative that takes readers on an informative, often charming and wryly humorous, journey... What particularly distinguishes this volume, though, is the more than 100 exquisite illustrations that aptly represent social and religious attitudes toward the inventions and innovations of the time... Highly recommended. Choice This enchanting tale, masterfully recounted by a pre-eminent historian of the Middle Ages, reveals the fertile imagination and extraordinary inventiveness of a period whose legacy to the modern world included not just books, banks, and buttons, but also eyeglasses, playing cards, pasta, table forks, underwear, the mechanical clock, and domesticated cats inside the house. Library Journal Written in an engaging and open style with many delightful color illustrations showing the various objects, the book examines such commonplace items as forks, glazed windows, paper watermarks, rudders and wheelbarrows, placing them in their medieval context with the support of contemporary sources. History Magazine It is likely that this book will lead new students to develop a fascination with the Middle Ages while introducing seasoned scholars to topics they have overlooked. -- Michael E. Hoenicke Moore, Southern Illinois University Speculum January 2005 A thoroughly engaging look at the slow, subtle development of civilization. -- Dan Smith Blue Ridge Business Journal 10/3/05 These contents provide a scholarly overview of the changes evinced by era while retaining a readable style and refreshing pace. -- Gray Pleuth Bloomsbury Review 12/1/05

Author Information

Chiara Frugoni is professor of medieval history at the University of Rome II, a frequent contributor to La Repubblica and the Manifesto, and the author of many books, including Francis of Assisi: A Life, A Distant City: Images of Urban Experience in the Medieval World, and A Day in the Life of a Medieval City (forthcoming). William McCuaig is a translator living in Toronto.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available