After learning of my experiences in Russia (as I wrote about in the last few “Gimbling in the Wabes”), a learned friend of mine recommended the book Peter the Great: His Life and Works (by Robert K. Massie) to me. I’ve already gotten a copy from the library, but this is the type of book that I want to sit back and luxuriate with, sans timelines and due dates, so I have added it to my Amazon “wish list”.
This same friend has shared with me his appreciation – which I also have – for Barbara Tuchman’s magnificent recounting of 14th Century Europe in her work A Distant Mirror, and he’s been a font of information in his own right about many things historical. I readily admit to enjoying reading about history long past, and although I’m not a big one for biography and memoir, I do really tend to gravitate towards anything written about the Middle Ages (and no, I’m not talking about life after 40, I’m talking about a time between the 5th and 15th centuries – approximately), even if those works constrained by the “truth”.
So when the good people at Medievalists.net recently came up with a list of five excellent books chronicling different “celebrities of the Middle Ages” (and they should know!), I sat up and took notice. Hello, library!
What about you, LitStackers? Any of these titles pique your interest? Are there any historical eras that resonate with you in your reading?
2 comments
Thanks for mentioning us:) ~ PK
Absolutely, Mr. Konieczny – it is a thoroughly delightful site for many reasons!
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