New in Bookstores: 2007 Holiday Season

by Deirdre Jackson

This beautifully-illustrated examination of medieval manuscript illuminations focuses on the miraculous. Not limited to biblical manuscripts, Marvellous to Behold also draws on the lives of the saints, devotional works, song books, historical chronicles and even legal texts as sources for illustrations of miracles. The images are reproduced in full color and are accompanied by explanations of the miracle stories they tell.

Published by the British Library
160 p., 8.5 x 11, hardcover
117 full-color photographs
ISBN: 9780712349468

by Jonathan Phillips

The Second Crusade is usually presented briefly in accounts of the religious wars. The failure of its objectives in the Holy Land and the actions of the crusaders, particularly the king of France and his strong-willed queen Eleanor, tend to detract from the overall impact the event had on Europe. Now, in the first book focusing on the Second Crusade in more than 100 years, Crusades scholar Jonathan Phillips takes a fresh look, incorporating the most recent scholarship and presenting his own well-supported theories.

Published by Yale University Press
336 p., 9 x 6, hardcover
12 b&w illustrations
ISBN: 9780300112740

by Fabrizio Nevola

If I ever fulfill my lifelong dream of going to Italy, I hope to spend quite some time in Siena, site of the exciting horse race known as the Palio, which dates to the Middle Ages, and a major artistic center of Medieval and Renaissance Italy. This new book by Fabrizio Nevola, which focuses on Sienese architectural and urban history of the 15th and 16th centuries, may help hold me over until I can get there.

Published by Yale University Press
320 p., 9 x 11, hardcover
190 b&w and 60 color illustrations
ISBN: 9780300126785

by Laurence Bergreen

From their earliest publication, the tales Marco Polo wrote of his travels to the east have been ridiculed as little more than imaginative fables. In this new examination of Polo's memoirs, Laurence Bergreen finds much to believe. A promising work from an author known for his accessible style.

Published by Alfred A. Knopf
432 p., 9 x 6, hardcover
16 pages of photos, 3 maps
ISBN: 9781400043453

by Thomas P. Campbell

Stained glass, illuminations, and tapestries typify medieval art better than any other art forms. Of the three, tapestries are the most luxurious -- plush to the touch as well as enriching to the eye. A king interested in dazzling his guests could easily have them transported to wherever he happened to be. This Henry VIII often did with portions of his fabulous tapestry collection, unrivaled during his lifetime. This book not only offers fine photographs of the collection, but examines how Henry identified himself with historic, religious, and mythological figures through the tapestries.

Published by Yale University Press
440 p., 8.5 x 11, hardcover
114 b&w and 206 color illustrations
ISBN: 9780300122343

by Karl Friday

In the 10th century, Taira no Masakado, an ambitious warrior, sought to become emperor of Japan. The story of his insurrection is told by Samurai authority Karl Friday, Professor of History at the University of Georgia, who provides an introduction to the samurai and their role in 10th-century Japanese society.

Published by Wiley
240 p., 9 x 6, hardcover
ISBN: 9780471760825

by Paul Williamson

From June of this year to January of 2009, a special exhibition of masterpieces from the Victoria & Albert Museum, dating from the period 300-1600, is on tour. This book accompanies the exhibition. Filled with marvelous photos of such treasures as the enameled Becket Casket, the ivory Crucified Christ by Giovanni Pisano, and Donatello’s bronze fountain figure Winged Putto with a Fish, Medieval and Renaissance Treasures from the V&A is the next best thing to visiting the exhibition. But if you can catch the exhibit (it's at the Norton Museum of Art, West Palm Beach through January 6), all the better!

Published by the Victoria and Albert Museum
96 p., 8.5 x 7.5, hardcover
70 color illustrations
ISBN: 9781851775262

by Mark Samuel and Kate Hamlyn

You've probably heard the legend that if you go to Ireland and kiss the Blarney Stone, you'll be blessed with the Gift of Gab. But did you know that the stone is at one of the most important and fascinating castles in Irish history? Drawing on recent surveys as well as a wealth of documentation, freelance Archaeological Specialist Mark Samuel and author Kate Hamylin bring you a social history of the castle and the lands around Blarney, the society that built the castle, its function, and a wider history of events related to the castle. Includes maps and numerous photos.

Published by Cork University Press
320 p., 10 x 7.5, hardcover
ISBN: 9781859184110

by Jessie Childs

Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, was a remarkable figure of the English Renaissance -- groundbreaking poet, chivalrous knight, reformer, and outspoken critic of Henry VIII's court. He witnessed or participated in the most significant events of the age, and in this new biography, Jessie Childs sheds light not only on Surrey's life, but on the world he lived in.

Published by Thomas Dunne Books
416 p., 9 x 6, hardcover
ISBN: 9780312372811

by Jonathan Harris

The mythical, mystical city of Constantinople was established as the capital of the Roman Empire shortly after Constantine had it constructed on the site of the old fishing village of Byzantium. Through the demise of the western empire and the rise of the western kingdoms, Constantinople stood as a shining bastion of Christian civilization for more than a thousand years. Jonathan Harris examines the glittering city at the height of its dazzle in 1200.

Published by Hambledon & London
304 p., 9 x 6, hardcover
ISBN: 9781847251794