A history of the world in 100 objects

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Jacob F. Field

Ever wondered why Tsar Ivan was the dubbed 'the Terrible' or how King Henri II of France perished in a jousting incident? Grisly and gruesome, this book details the vile history of bloodthirsty kings and queens, savage battles, torture and punishment, as well as deathly locations from the days of the ancients to the late nineteenth century. A bloodstained tour through ages of torment, One Bloody Thing After Another explores the blood and guts of yesteryear, from the Crusades and medieval dungeons to the Reign of Terror and witch trials. Find out who bathed in the blood of young women to retain her youth and what really happened at the Massacre of the Festival of Toxcatl, all the while uncovering the most painful torture methods ever used. This is a fascinating account of terror, torture and power in all its repulsive guises ... the most gut-spilling history book you'll read this year.

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Lotte Kéry

Contains a bibliographical survey of the chronological and systematic canonical collections in the Latin West from the beginnings of Christianity to Gratian's Decretum (ca. 1140). Dr. Kéry not only has compiled a catalogue of early medieval canonistic manuscripts, but has included valuable information about them. For each collection she has described its type and contents, the time and place of compilation, and, when, possible, its author. Full bibliographies have been provided for each collection, arranged in chronological order. Scholars will find her work particularly useful since she has also noted where scholars have differed and where their opinions may be found. Special attention has been paid to the numerous recensions of the collections. She has given a separate entry for important recensions and has lists of fragments and abbreviated forms of the collections.

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Marguerite De Angeli

From the back cover of Scholastic Inc. copy of this book: By Marguerite de Angeli, recipient of the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award, the Regina Medal, and the Newberry Medal. The bells clang above plague-ridden London as Robin lies helpless, cold, and hungry. The great house is empty, his father is fighting the Scots in the north, his mother is traveling with the Queen, and the servants have fled. He calls for help but only the stones hear his cries. Suddenly someone else is in the house, coming towards Robin to St. Mark's Monastery, where he will be cared for until his father sends for him. At last a message comes – Robin is to meet his father at Castle Lindsay. The journey is dangerous, and the castle is located near the hostile Welsh border. Perched high in the hills, the castle appears invincible. But it is not. Under the cover of a thick fog the Welsh attack the castle. And robin is the only one who can save it... “An enthralling and inspiring tale...Unusually beautiful illustrations, full of detail, combine with the text to make life in England during the Middle Ages come alive.” ~ *The New York Times*

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Peter Fox

Cambridge University Library is one of the world's great research libraries. This book is a celebration of the treasures of the library from the perspective of a group of eminent scholars who actively use the collections for research. Chapters have been selected to illustrate the vast range of the library's collections: from the fifth-century Codex Bezae to the archives of contemporary writers and politicians; from medieval manuscripts to the letters of Charles Darwin; on history, theology, politics, sociology, art history, biology, agriculture, mathematics and astronomy. Extensively illustrated with over two hundred photographs, many of them in colour and published for the first time, Cambridge University Library: The Great Collections offers a unique perspective on a remarkable institution.