History of art Books

Book SynopsisA bedroom, a kitchen, a bathroom - are these rooms all that make a home? Not at all, argues Emanuele Coccia. The buildings we inhabit are of immense psychological and cultural significance. They play a decisive role in human flourishing and, for hundreds of years, their walls and walkways, windows and doorways have guided our relationships with others and with ourselves. They reflect and reinforce social inequalities; they allow us to celebrate and cherish those we love. They are the places of return that allow us to venture out into the world.In this intimate, elegantly argued account, Coccia shows how the architecture of home has shaped, and continues to shape, our psyches and our societies, before then masterfully leading us towards a more creative, ecological way of dwelling in the world.

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Book Synopsis''Endlessly intriguing . . . I was enchanted'' - DAILY TELEGRAPH''Illuminating in every sense of the word'' - John HiggsIn an illuminating blend of memoir and art history, The Other Side explores the lives and work of a group of extraordinary women artists. From the twelfth-century mystic Hildegard of Bingen and the nineteenth-century spiritualist Georgiana Houghton to the pioneering Hilma af Klint, these women all - in their own unique ways - shared the same goal: to communicate with, and learn from, other dimensions. Weaving in and out of their myriad lives, Jennifer Higgie considers the solace of ritual, the gender exclusions of art history, the contemporary relevance of myth, the boom in alternative ways of understanding the world and the impact of spiritualism on feminism and contemporary art.Trade ReviewIn effervescent and atmospheric prose, Jennifer Higgie explores some of history's most innovative artists and their spiritual investigations into this realm and the next. I was entranced from start to finish, as she takes us on both a personal and artistic journey across time and across the globe. The Other Side is an exhilarating read -- KATY HESSEL, author of THE STORY OF ART WITHOUT MENInvigorating . . . The Other Side [is] endlessly intriguing . . . I was enchanted * DAILY TELEGRAPH *The Other Side lit up my brain. A radical, fascinating exploration of art and the otherworldly, Higgie is an expert and erudite guide in this brilliant reclamation of female artists -- SINÉAD GLEESON, author of CONSTELLATIONSThe Other Side is a colourful, varied look at the many artists and thinkers who have touched worlds beyond our own - and a necessary reconsideration of why they have all too often been "brushed aside" * PROSPECT *Wonderful . . . Higgie guides us through overlooked stories from the history of art and reveals the insights into the nature of imagination which reside there. Illuminating in every sense of the word -- JOHN HIGGS, author of WILLIAM BLAKE VS THE WORLDA rewarding and invigorating read * SYDNEY MORNING HERALD *An entrancing look at formerly neglected artists who navigated thresholds between this world and the next, and a crucial exploration of realms formerly dismissed. Elegantly expanded my thinking on the eternal mystery of where art comes from -- JENNIFER LUCY ALLAN, author of THE FOGHORN'S LAMENTA majestic account of the ways in which women's art has developed in response to spiritual experience. Higgie traces a compelling route through an alternative history that attends to the astonishing work of female artists whose practice was deeply connected to spiritualism and the occult, and which was often far ahead of its time, anticipating practices and modes of modernist abstraction . . . endlessly surprising and ambitious -- Stephanie Bishop * THE MONTHLY *Ranging from 12th-century mystic Hildegard von Bingen to 20th-century painters such as Ithell Colquhoun and Hilma af Klint, Higgie teases out links between spiritualism, feminism and art history in this evocative study * APOLLO MAGAZINE *Jennifer Higgie is the most splendid of guides on this enthralling journey of a book. With tremendous intelligence, sensitivity and a receptivity nearly equal to that of her subjects, she leads us through a gallery of remarkable women artists whose dialogue with other realms became the font of their creativity as well as a sanctuary. Excellent, inspiring and transformative -- CHLOE ARIDJIS, author of SEA MONSTERSIntriguing . . . There is a vein of optimism and wonder running through the text -- Mary Gabriel * NEW YORK TIMES *

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Book SynopsisIn this one-of-a-kind volume, indispensable for students of art, architecture and film,Alex Danchev presents 100 Artists'' Manifestos, each reproduced with an introduction on the author and the associated movement, in Penguin Modern Classics.This remarkable collection of 100 manifestos from the last 100 years is cacophony of voices from such diverse movements as Futurism, Dadaism, Surrealism, Feminism, Communism, Destructivism, Vorticism, Stridentism, Cannibalism and Stuckism, taking in along the way film, architecture, fashion, and cookery.Artists'' manifestos are nothing if not revolutionary. They are outlandish, outrageous, and frequently offensive. They combine wit, wisdom, and world-shaking demands. This collection gathers together an international array of artists of every stripe, including Kandinsky, Mayakovsky, Rodchenko, Le Corbusier, Picabia, Dalí, Oldenburg, Vertov, Baselitz, Kitaj, Murakami, Gilbert and George, together with their allies and collaborators - such figures as Marinetti, Apollinaire, Breton, Trotsky, Guy Debord and Rem Koolhaas.Editor Alex Danchev is the author of an acclaimed biography of artist Georges Braque and is Professor of International Relations at the University of Nottingham. His other works include Alanbrooke War Diaries: Field Marshall Lord Alanbrooke, The Iraq War and Democratic Politics and On Art and War and Terror.If you enjoyed 100 Artists'' Manifestos, you might like John Berger''s Ways of Seeing, also available in Penguin Modern Classics.''The Manifesto is remarkable for its imaginative power ... it is the first great modernist work of art'' Marshall BermanTrade ReviewThe Manifesto is remarkable for its imaginative power ... it is the first great modernist work of art * Marshall Berman *This collection is a must ... because the passion that erupted in the early 20th century is in such counterpoint to our own more apathetic era -- Lesley McDowell * Independent *This ingenious anthology...is an inspiring book * Scotland on Sunday *100 Artists' Manifestos [is] deftly selected and stylishly introduced by Alex Danchev -- Terry Eagleton * Times Literary Supplement *An absorbing capsule history of culture over the past century -- John Gray * Literary Review *

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Book SynopsisThe Pocket Book of Dragons explores the myth, magic and meaning of one of the most fabulous and fearsome beasts of legend. Encounter serpents of the sea and air, Eastern dragon kings, Viking wyrms, Biblical leviathans, fire-breathing guardians of treasure, medieval monsters, and dragon-slaying saints. Overflowing with ancient and modern dragon tales from every corner of the globe, and beautifully illustrated with a curated archive of the finest dragon art, this is a little book that contains a world of fantastical facts.

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Book SynopsisArt meets science in Ramon y Cajal's remarkable drawings of the brain

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewPhilip Guston's work gathers strength with the passing of time. During his lifetime he seemed an outsider, but now the world of painting seems to have regrouped around him. This book captures the breadth and depth of his thinking, and also captures the feeling of an intensely lively era when artists like Cage, Feldman and Guston felt that making art was a branch of philosophy. I think everybody interested in the evolution of culture should read this thought-provoking and timely book -- Brian EnoVital in grasping Guston's contribution to post-war American art and his abiding significance to contemporary painters -- Ben Luke * The Art Newspaper *An appealing little book ... A pocketsized portfolio of Philip Guston's writings, talks and interviews ... It includes a joyous appreciation of the Renaissance master Piero della Francesca ... advice to art students ... [and] insights into what makes a great artist tick -- Stephen Smith * The Times *This expertly curated selection of Guston's writings, talks and interviews draws together the artist's most incisive reflections on iconography and abstraction, metaphysics and mysticism, and the nature of painting and drawing... If you've never heard of him, this is a great introduction; if you have, this book will deepen your knowledge and understanding * Creative Boom *

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Book Synopsis''One of the most famous of modern art documents - a poetic primer, prepared by the artist for his Bauhaus pupils, which has deeply affected modern thinking about art . . . This little handbook leads us into the mysterious world where science and imagination fuse.'' Observer

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Book SynopsisFounded in 1848 as a secret society, the Pre-Raphaelites rejected classical ideals and the dominant artistic genre painting of their era for what they saw as a more spiritual, sincere, and naturalistic approach. Founded by William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais, and Dante Gabriel Rossetti, they evolved into a seven-member “brotherhood” that included poets and critics as well as painters. Moving away from the classical compositions exemplified by Raphael (hence the group’s name), the Pre-Raphaelites rather turned to medieval culture and the jewel-like colors of Quattrocento art for inspiration. Their principal themes were initially religious, but also included subjects from literature and poetry, as exemplified by Sir John Everett Millais’s famous Ophelia, drawn from Shakespeare's Hamlet. Inspired by the theories of John Ruskin, they were also committed to the close study of nature. This book presents key works from the Pre-Raphaelite group to introduce their reactionary principles, their dazzling colors, their interest in love, death, and nature, and their extensive influence on latter-day Symbolism and beyond.

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Book SynopsisThis first biography of the Kettle's Yard artists reveals the life of a visionary who helped shape twentieth-century British art and explores a thrilling moment in the history of modernism'The beautiful, revelatory biography we have been waiting for. I loved it'EDMUND DE WAAL'This book is the legacy Jim Ede might have wished for'OBSERVERThe lives of Jim Ede and the Kettle's Yard artists represent a thrilling tipping point in twentieth-century modernism: a new guard, a new way of making and seeing, and a new way of living with art. The artists Ben and Winifred Nicholson, Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth, Alfred Wallis and Henri Gaudier-Brzeska were not a set like the Bloomsbury Set or Ravilious and his friends. But Jim Ede recognised in each of the artists he championed something common and kindred, some quality of light and life and line. Jim Ede is the figure who unites them. His vision continues to influence the way we understand art and modern living. He was a man of extraordinary energies: a collector, dealer, fixer, critic and, above all, friend to artists. For Ede, works of art were friends and art could be found wherever you looked - in a pebble, feather or seedhead. Art lived and a life without art, beauty, friendship and creativity was a life not worth living. Art was not for galleries alone and it certainly wasn't only for the rich. At Kettle's Yard in Cambridge, he opened his home and his collection to all comers. He showed generations of visitors that learning to look could be a whole new way of life.

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Book SynopsisA lifelong devotee of ancient Egyptian and Oriental culture, the French author, artist, and scholar Achille-Constant-Théodore-Émile Prisse d’Avennes (1807–1879) is famed as one of the most influential Egyptologists, long before the discipline was even properly established. Prisse first embarked on his explorations in 1836, documenting sites throughout the Nile Valley, often under his Egyptian pseudonym, Edris Effendi. Prisse’s first publication of notes, drawings, and squeezes (a kind of frottage) came in the form of Les Monuments égyptiens, a modest collection of 51 plates, but one met with considerable acclaim in popular and intellectual circles. Encouraged by his success, Prisse returned to Egypt in the late 1850s to expand his work into the collection L’Histoire de l’art égyptien—together with his first volume, these two tomes make up a truly complete survey of Egyptian art. His albums cover architecture, drawing, sculpture, painting, and industrial or minor arts, with sections, plans, architectural details, and surface decoration all documented with utmost sensitivity and accuracy. Even when compared to the products of the great state-sponsored expeditions to Egypt of this period, Prisse’s compendium remains the largest, single-handed illustrated record of Egyptian art in existence. Discover the complete collection of Prisse’s unsurpassed illustrations in a visual and archaeological feast of symmetry and complexity. Once exclusively available as an XL-sized title, this Bibliotheca Universalis edition captures all the mystery and opulence of Prisse’s groundbreaking collection in an affordable, compact format.Trade Review"A stunning showcase that every lover of ancient Egypt will want to own."

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Book SynopsisProfessor Clive Aslet, chairman of the Lutyens Trust, reveals the journey behind the buildings designed by Lutyens. This book digs deep into the archives, showcasing both Aslet's knowledge and unseen artwork and stories. Was Sir Edwin Lutyens Britain's Greatest Architect?

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Book Synopsis'Provocative, elegant, intriguing - Jenkins is a bold, imaginative writer, brilliant at challenging old assumptions and encouraging you to look at British architecture in a new light' Rory StewartThe story of Britain is revealed through its buildings, and yet the language of architecture is a mystery to all but a few. In this enlightening history, spanning castles and cathedrals to factories and railway stations, Jenkins translates the hidden narratives infused in the facades we walk past every day. Britain's history has been formed by its politics, religion and society and these influences can be seen in the architectural styles that have shaped its landscape. From pre-Roman and the Middle Ages, to the Renaissance and the Industrial Revolution, Classical and Gothic styles surged and retreated from favour only to then be challenged by a new player: Modernism, a style that reflected the stunning technological advances of the second half of the twentieth century. In this narrative h

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewIn Hokusai: Inspiration and Influence, one of the greatest of all printmakers appears at the nucleus of a worldwide cultural transformation, in which art became more urbane and more fleeting, and the observed world got flattened out into signs and symbols. -- Jason Farago * The New York Times: Arts *

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Book SynopsisThe most detailed history of this iconic brand told through 120 watches from James Dowling, aka 'Mr Rolex'.

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Book SynopsisThis jewel-like book evokes unmistakable Italian landscapes and cityscapes. Anne Desmet's pen commits every detail to paper, and the small-scale format emphasises her distinctive flair for capturing the relationship between extreme foreground and distance. This is an opportunity to explore Italy, from Apennines to Veneto, through the eyes of a very particular artist.

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Book SynopsisSuitable for David Hockney fans and dog lovers everywhere, this book deals with two of the artist's closest friends, his dachshunds Stanley and Boodgie. It includes Hockney's paintings and drawings of his two companions, dozens of illustrations, and a text by the artist himself.Trade Review'Hockney's usual brilliant eye for colour is ever present' - The Times'Lovely … sure to delight both dog lovers and David Hockney fans. 10/10' - Your Dog

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Book SynopsisAlayo Akinkugbe graduated from the University of Cambridge with a BA in History of Art in 2021 and graduated with an MA in Curating the Art Museum from the Courtauld Institute of Art in 2023. She runs the Instagram platform @ABlackHistoryofArt, which highlights Black artists, sitters, curators and thinkers from art history and the present day; and hosts the podcast A Shared Gaze. Alayo is a contributing editor and writes the column Black Gazes' for AnOther Magazine. She was awarded a curatorial research grant by the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art for the exhibition Entangled Pasts: Art Colonialism and Change at the Royal Academy of Arts. Alayo was on the advisory panel and contributed to the book African Artists: From 1882 to Now, published by Phaidon in 2021, and has written for publications including Dazed, Tate Etc. and The World of Interiors. Reframing Blackness is her first book.

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Book SynopsisVenetian Disegno: New Frontiers circa 1420 to 1620 offers a fresh perspective on the art of Venice and the Veneto. The volume brings together the contributions of scholars and curators specialist on a wide variety of artists and art forms including drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture and architecture. Venetian Disegno: New Frontiers circa 1420 to 1620 takes disegno as its central theme, that in its plurality of meaning allows for a consideration of the conceptual role of design and the act of drawing. The relationship between disegno and Renaissance Venetian art has historically been a problematic one, with emphasis instead being placed on the Venetian predilection for colore. This volume is reflective of an ongoing challenge to this perspective and draws attention to the importance of Venetian disegno and the study of drawings for understanding various art forms. The book commences with a critical study of what constitutes disegno in Venetian art. It does so through questioning the historiography of Venetian artistic scholarship and the restrictive framework and preconceptions that have emerged before setting out the merits of a broader, more inclusive approach. Disegno is applied in its multifaceted nature to address the physical act of drawing, the tangible drawn object and the role of design in artistic practice. The term 'Venetian' is taken to encompass both Venice and its mainland territories not least because of the mobility of artists across and beyond the region. Contributions are divided into five thematic sections. The first, entitled 'Peripheries', frames the art of Venice within a wider discourse on the movement of ideas across and beyond the Veneto in locations including Padua, Verona and Rome. A section on Media considers the origins and innovations that took place in the use of materials such as blue paper, oil and coloured chalks. In another, the theories that have developed on Venetian notions of disegno are brought under scrutiny, addressing topics such as the long upheld perspective that Venetian artists did not draw, the role of sculpture in Tintoretto's drawing practice and the interrelation between the written and drawn line in Palma Giovane's draftsmanship. The section on Invention reflects on the technical innovations that were facilitated through the uptake of printmaking and the intellectual freedom granted by humanist patrons. Finally, Function gets to the heart of the practical purpose of disegno. Contributions focus on the workshops of the Bellini family and Titian to consider the diverse ways they used drawing within their artistic practices with an emphasis on technical analysis. These sections are all preceded by introductions that provide an overview on each theme while the volume is bookended by two reflections on the state of research into Venetian disegno and the potential for further progress. Sumptuously illustrated with over 100 images with a comprehensive bibliography, Venetian Disegno: New Frontiers circa 1420 to 1620 represents a significant contribution to scholarship on the art of Venice, Renaissance workshops and drawing studies.

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Book SynopsisThe art of ancient Egypt that has been handed down to us bears no names of its creators, and yet we value the creations of these unknown masters no less than the works of later centuries, such as statues by Michelangelo or the paintings by Leonardo da Vinci. This book introduces some of the most important masterpieces, ranging from the Old Kingdom during the Third millennium BC to the Roman Period. The works encompass sculptures, reliefs, sarcophagi, murals, masks, and decorative items, most of them now in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, but some occupying places of honor as part of the World Cultural Heritage in museums such as the Louvre in Paris, the British Museum in London, the Egyptian Museum in Berlin, and the Metropolitan Museum in New York.Featured works include: Seated statue of King Djoser Wood relief of Hesire on a dining table Statue of a scribe made of various materials Funerary relief of Aschait Sphinx of Sesostris III Robed statue of Cherihotep Reliefs from the Temple at Carnac Sarcophagus of Queen Hatshepsut Murals from Thebes Seated figure of the goddess Sachmet Statue of Queen Teje Head of Akhenaten (Amenophis IV) Queen Nefertiti Golden mask of Tutankhamun Ramses II from Abu Simbel Horus falcon made of granite Stone relief from the temple ambulatory at Edfu

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Book SynopsisOnly 20 paintings and eight drawings are confidently assigned to Netherlandish painter Hieronymus Bosch (c. 1450–1516) but in their fantastical visions they have secured his place as one of the most cult artists in history. 500 years on from his death, his works continue to inspire scholars, artists, designers, and musicians, death metal band names and designer dresses. This edition offers the complete and haunting Bosch world in one compact format. Through full spreads and carefully curated details, we explore the full reach and compelling inventions of the artist’s genius as well as disturbing imagination. We encounter his hybrid creatures, his nightmarish scenarios, his religious and moral framework, and his pictorial versions of contemporary proverbs and idioms. Along the way, art historian and Bosch expert Stefan Fischer reveals the most important themes and influences in these cryptic, mesmerizing masterpieces.Trade Review“A magnificently illustrated monograph.” * The Times *“Superb color reproductions and numerous details allow us to examine Bosch’s fantastic imagery with a clarity seldom possible, even in a museum gallery.” * The Burlington Magazine *“Bosch in breathtakingly unearthly depth of field.” * Die Welt *

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Book SynopsisMysterious islands have appeared threaten the hometown of Ryza and her friends! In hopes of finding a way to save their home, Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key sends Ryza and her friends on a grand adventure that revolves delving into the roots of alchemy.Atelier Ryza 3: Official Visual Collection gathers the fantastic artwork behind this final entry in the Atelier Ryza trilogy. Included are key illustrations, character concepts, and weapon & monster designs. Also, no JRPG fan will want to miss exclusive interviews with the game's developers.

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Book SynopsisResisting interpretation or classification, Mark Rothko (1903–1970) was a prominent advocate for the artist’s consummate freedom of expression. Although identified as a key protagonist of the Abstract Expressionist movement, first formed in New York City, Rothko rejected the label and insisted instead on “a consummated experience between picture and onlooker.” Following a repertoire of figurative works, Rothko developed his now iconic canvases of bold color blocks in red, yellow, ochre, maroon, black, or green. With these shimmering, pulsating color masses, Rothko stressed that he had not removed the human figure but rather put symbols or shapes in its place. These intense color forms contained all the tragedy of the human condition. At the same time, Rothko explicitly empowered the viewer in the expressive potential of his work. He believed “A picture lives by companionship, expanding and quickening in the eyes of the sensitive observer.” From his early development through to his most famous color fields, this book introduces the intellect and influence of Rothko’s dramatic, intimate, and revolutionary work.

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Book SynopsisThough very much an individual and spiritual artist, Alphonse Mucha was a defining figure of the Art Nouveau era and is loved for his distinctive lush style and images of beautiful women in arabesque poses among the plethora of paintings, posters, advertisements and designs he produced. Admire a whole range of his work here in its full glory with succinct accompanying text.

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Book SynopsisA remarkable, heartfelt, beautifully written analysis of the late work of 19 major artists that Max Porter describes as completely and utterly marvellous'. Painting exists and exults in immortal thoughts' William Blake In 2020, as the spread of Covid-19 causes pandemonium worldwide, an elderly artist returns to his childhood home to watch the transcendent beauty of the seasons and reflect on the final work of the artists he most admires. It seems to him that in their final art works their late style that they have something remarkable in common. This has more to do with intuition and memory than with rationality or reason and comes from trying to write about painting itself. Immortal Thoughts: Late Style in a Time of Plague is an anthology of these reflections. In this personal and moving account, nineteen short essays on artists are interspersed with short accounts of the cataclysmic global progress of the disease in poignant contrast to the beauty of the seasons in the isolated house and garden, narrative strands that are closely intertwined. From Cézanne's last watercolours to Michelangelo's final five drawings, Rembrandt and suffering to Gwen John and absence, Christopher Neve dwells on artists' late ideas, memory, risk, handling and places, in the terrible context of Time and mortality. As much art history as a discussion of great art in the context of the Dance of Death, Neve writes with renewed passion about Bonnard, Michelangelo, Morandi, Poussin, Soutine and many others in his distinctive style.

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Book SynopsisA unique, illustrated history of Tudor England told through its art and artefacts.The volatile years of England's Tudor dynasty (14851603) and the five monarchs who ruled England during this period continue to fascinate and intrigue. Thanks to the paintings of artists like Hans Holbein, we have very definitive ideas about the appearance and personalities of Henry VII, Henry VIII, Edwards VI, Mary I and her successor Elizabeth I. It is through their eyes of artists that we still see the dynasty which ruled England for just over a century. Yet, iconic though they are, when it comes to Tudor art, portraits and monarchs are far from the whole story.Throughout the sixteenth century, images and objects were employed for political, religious, social and scientific ends, by a greater range of people than ever before. The Church and the royal court, archbishops, monarchs, and courtiers, were some of the most important patrons, commissioning artists in painting, tapestry, print and other materials, to convey particular messages and promote them as individuals and office-holders. But in this period too, the middling sort', professional men and women, increased in power, wealth and influence. They also wanted to promote themselves, and used not only art, but also a plethora of other objects to do so.In this novel and unique exploration of England's Tudor dynasty, Christina Faraday uses the art of the era both images and objects - as a means of investigating every facet of the period. As well as deconstructing sometimes familiar portraits of Tudor kings, queens and noblemen, Faraday will bring a forensic eye to bear on a broad and heterogeneous array of artefacts charters, clocks, cushions, coins, devotional artworks, furniture, jewels, manuscripts, miniatures, sculptures, scrolls and tapestries thereby providing the reader with a vivid and detailed feel for the political, social, economic and cultural texture of sixteenth-century England.

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Book SynopsisA SUNDAY TIMES HISTORY BOOK OF THE YEAR 'A triumph' Guardian 'Glorious ... makes the past at once familiar, exotic and thrilling.' Dominic Sandbrook 'A brilliant book' Mail on Sunday Just like us, medieval men and women worried about growing old, got blisters and indigestion, fell in love and had children. And yet their lives were full of miraculous and richly metaphorical experiences radically different to our own, unfolding in a world where deadly wounds might be healed overnight by divine intervention, or the heart of a king, plucked from his corpse, could be held aloft as a powerful symbol of political rule. In this richly-illustrated and unusual history, Jack Hartnell uncovers the fascinating ways in which people thought about, explored and experienced their physical selves in the Middle Ages, from Constantinople to Cairo and Canterbury. Unfolding like a medieval pageant, and filled with saints, soldiers, caliphs, queens, monks and monstrous beasts, it throws light on the medieval body from head to toe - revealing the surprisingly sophisticated medical knowledge of the time in the process. Bringing together medicine, art, music, politics, philosophy and social history, there is no better guide to what life was really like for the men and women who lived and died in the Middle Ages. Medieval Bodies is published in association with Wellcome Collection.Trade ReviewA brilliant book ... beautifully illustrated ... A triumphant piece of historical writing -- Kathryn Hughes * Mail on Sunday *An extraordinary story and a wonderfully rich study of the Middle Ages ... Hartnell's idea of approaching the medieval worldview through the body is inspired ... This beautifully illustrated book succeeds brilliantly in bringing this much maligned period to life ... A triumph of scholarship. -- PD Smith * Guardian *One of the achievements of this splendid book is to make our world view seem more narrow and fragmented than that of the extensive period we place somewhere between the Dark Ages and the Renaissance ... at every point you'll encounter wit, learning and riveting stories. A wonderful read. -- Melanie McDonagh * Evening Standard *An erudite, wide-ranging, thoughtfully illustrated book -- Laura Freeman * The Times *'Glorious ... makes the past at once familiar, exotic and thrilling.' Dominic Sandbrook, The Sunday Times -- Dominic Sandbrook * Sunday Times *A thick, spicy plum pudding of a book * London Review of Books *

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