Description
Description
A delightfully captivating journey across the medieval world, seen through the eyes of those who travelled across it
From the bustling bazaars of Tabriz, to the mysterious island of Caldihe, where sheep were said to grow on trees, Anthony Bale brings history alive in A Travel Guide to the Middle Ages, inviting the reader to travel across a medieval world punctuated with miraculous wonders and long-lost landmarks. Journeying alongside scholars, spies and saints, from western Europe to the Far East, the Antipodes, and the ends of the world, this is no ordinary travel guide, containing everything from profane pilgrim badges, Venetian laxatives and flying coffins to encounters with bandits and trysts with princesses. Using previously untranslated contemporary accounts from as far and wide as Turkey, Iceland, Armenia, north Africa, and Russia, A Travel Guide to the Middle Ages is a living atlas that blurs the distinction between real and imagined places, offering the reader a vivid and unforgettable insight into how medieval people understood their world.
Critical Reviews
Critical Reviews
A success, both as a celebration of the beauty, wonder, and wrongheadedness of early travel writing, and of the value of an informative stylish guide to what for most will be unmapped territory.--Gideon Leek "Cleveland Review of Books"
A wise, well-informed historical study.-- "Kirkus Reviews"
A Lonely Planet book for the medieval traveler, full of tips, conversion rates, and lists of what to pack. In this deeply researched but witty and readable guide, Anthony Bale brings us face-to-face with medieval travel--the sights and smells, the thrill and the homesickness--in a way that feels instantly recognizable even at so many centuries' distance.--Dennis Duncan, author of Index, A History of the
Intrepid, entertaining, unfailingly curious...balancing sympathy with skepticism, Anthony Bale marvelously reconfigures the contours of our forebears' knowledge.--Marina Warner, author of Once Upon a Time
An enthralling journey into the past and across the world, packed with incidents that any reader will find deliciously exotic, yet wryly familiar.--Seb Falk, author of The Light Ages
Beautifully written and vividly imagined, A Travel Guide to the Middle Ages is a book to be savored.--Helen Castor, author of She-Wolves
A gorgeous and fascinating storybook and a richly satisfying journey into the medieval mind.--Michael Pye, author of The Edge of the World
What a fascinating read! A new fact to be discovered on every page, written with enthusiasm and wisdom.--Rev. Kate Bottley
A global Middle Ages for our times. Anthony Bale reinvents and redefines the period through its intrepid travelers.... A joyful, erudite book.--Jerry Brotton, author of the New York Times best-selling A History of the World in Twelve Maps
Stunning.... [W]eird and wonderful and quietly hilarious, but the enormous fun of this book would not be possible without...Bale's dogged research and his diligent crafting of perfect prose.--Gerard DeGroot, Times (UK)
Brings us close to the past it experiences and allows us to be transformed in the process.--Imogen Marchant, Times Literary Supplement (UK)
Rich and wonderful.... This is the world as you have never seen it before?and as it will never be seen again. And it's more surprising, extraordinary, and bizarre than anything you can possibly imagine.--Ian Mortimer, author of The Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England
Breezy and engaging.... An informative and entertaining account of medieval travel that will be appreciated by readers of both popular history and travel stories.-- "Booklist"
Informative and entertaining.... Medieval history buffs will relish this.-- "Publishers Weekly"
An exhilarating and erudite combination of historical learning and imagination.... A wondrous journey through the real and fantastical worlds of the late Middle Ages.--Elizabeth Boyle, author of Fierce Appetites
This endlessly delightful book replicates the promises and pleasures of real travel, as we bump into and then lose sight of familiar faces in unfamiliar places. Anthony Bale is an adroit, companionable, and non-judgmental host on the road; he wears his deep knowledge lightly.--James Simpson, author of Permanent Revolution
Vivid, exciting and astonishing, Anthony Bale's medieval world is one populated by marvels and fantasies. Bale's exploration is informed always by gentle and empathetic reflection upon what it means to be a fragile human being in motion through strange lands, both then and now.--John Arnold, author of History: A Very Short Introduction
Publishing Information
Publishing Information
Publisher:
W. W. Norton & Company
Pub date:
2025-05-20
Length:
368 pages

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