by Peter Fergusson, Glyn Coppack and Stuart Harrison (2006)
"Located in a beautiful tree-sided valley in the North York moors, Rievaulx Abbey stands as one of the pre-eminent medieval ruins in Europe. From 1132, for over 400 years, the monastery served Cistercian monks, and in its early decades was home to a community of 650 men. For the next 400 years, following Henry VIII's Suppression, the deserted buildings have continued to haunt the valley in an unforeseen after-life, stimulating memory of the monks and their spiritual endeavours, notably during the Picturesque and Romantic periods.". "This is the first book to study the architecture of Rievaulx viewing the buildings' 800-year history and the varying periods of construction and deconstruction as much in terms of continuity as disruption. In its elucidation of the architecture, extensive reconstruction drawings, and its examination of context, iconography and social and economic factors, this book offers a fuller and more scholarly account of the buildings of a great medieval institution than any currently available."--BOOK JACKET.
Alfred Hiatt
"The Making of Medieval Forgeries argues that medieval forgeries were not simply acts of deception, but attempts to invest historical narratives with the authority of written record. Hiatt examines in detail cases of forgeries produced by and for monasteries, universities, and the English government itself, and finds that forgeries show a sustained and often creative engagement with the past."--BOOK JACKET.
Martial Rose and Julia Hedgecoe
The magnificent roof bosses of Norwich Cathedral are one of the great hidden glories of medieval art. There are more than one thousand of these delightfully carved and painted keystones in the high stone vaulting, dating from 1300 to 1515 and measuring between eight and twenty-four inches wide. The vast majority are figure carvings uniquely linked together in storytelling patterns, reflecting a variety of pagan, Christian, and folk subjects. Situated some eighty feet up from the floor of the cathedral, these ornaments are too distant to have been fully appreciated by worshippers over the centuries; by the same token, their inaccessibility has protected them from vandalism. This book reproduces the most striking and interesting examples, selected from the hundreds of exquisite color photographs taken by the distinguished photographer Julia Hedgecoe, under the auspices of the cathedral. They are introduced and fully described in a lively text by one of Norwich's foremost medieval historians, Martial Rose.
Roger Sherman Loomis
"The medieval legend of the Grail, a tale about the search for supreme mystical experience, has never ceased to intrigue writers and scholars by its wildly variegated forms: the settings have ranged from Britain to the Punjab to the Temple of Zeus at Dodona; the Grail itself has been described as the chalice used by Christ at the Last Supper, a stone with miraculous youth-preserving virtues, or a vessel containing a man's head swimming in blood. In his classic exploration of the major versions, Roger Sherman Loomis shows how the Grail, once a Celtic vessel of plenty, evolved into the Christian Grail with miraculous powers. Loomis bases his argument on historical examples involving the major motifs and characters in the legends, beginning with the Arthurian legend recounted in the 1180 French poem by Chrétien de Troyes. Loomis's book builds suspense as he proceeds from one puzzle to the next in revealing the meaning behind the legends"--
Ann Saunders
The comprehensive, prize-winning guide introduces the reader, whether visitor or resident, to the unparalleled visual wealth and historical interest contained in London art and architecture. Ann Saunders' lively style, enthusiasm and narrative gift bring her topographical survey to life, enriching it with historical information and with details of the people who built and lived in London. One of the book's great strengths is its thorough and sympathetic treatment of London's suburbs, with their little known wealth of old village centers, medieval churches and fine houses. A great city deserves to be celebrated and this book does its subject proud.