Mysteries of the Middle Ages: And the Beginning of the Modern World (Hinges of History) | 
 enlarge | Author: Thomas Cahill
Publisher: Anchor
Category: Book
List Price: $19.95
Buy New: $11.67
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Avg. Customer Rating:  14 reviews
Sales Rank: 30300
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 368
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.2
ISBN: 0385495560
Dewey Decimal Number: 909.07
EAN: 9780385495561
ASIN: 0385495560
Publication Date: March 4, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
From the bestselling author of How the Irish Saved Civilization, a fascinating look at how medieval thinkers created the origins of modern intellectual movements.
After the long period of decline known as the Dark Ages, medieval Europe experienced a rebirth of scholarship, art, literature, philosophy, and science and began to develop a vision of Western society that remains at the heart of Western civilization today, from the entry of women into professions that had long been closed to them to the early investigations into alchemy that would form the basis of experimental science. On visits to the great cities of Europe-monumental Rome; the intellectually explosive Paris of Peter Abelard and Thomas Aquinas; the hotbed of scientific study that was Oxford; and the incomparable Florence of Dante and Giotto-acclaimed historian Thomas Cahill brilliantly captures the spirit of experimentation, the colorful pageantry, and the passionate pursuit of knowledge that built the foundations for the modern world.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 9 more reviews...
 These "mysteries" are actually "sacraments" August 10, 2008
The title of this book embodies a bait and switch: the "Mysteries" of the title, you don't learn until the no-number small print page near the back of the book, are actually intended to be the Catholic "sacraments," which is appropriate in a book which, as you are finally told on page 313, is really about the "Catholic contribution to Western civilization." Through a series of biographical vignettes that are admittedly colorful and well-written, the author is trying to prove that western Catholicism is the mediating influence that turned classicism into the Renaissance. Interspersed among the vignettes are a series of tiresome proselytizing homilies and sermons by the author in the first person about the virtues of Roman Catholicism. As you would expect from an author who is seeking to use history to prove a theological point, this is not very good history. On the other hand, the book is beautifully illustrated in color and extremely well written, and as a result the anecdotes about some of the seminal figures of the Middle Ages will stay with you.
 Misleading Title Alert! Should be Titled: Catholicism Through The Middle Ages August 3, 2008
I bought this book with the expectation of learning more about the middle ages. Because, you know, the title of the book is "Mysteries of the Middle Ages - And the Beginning of the Modern World".
The book begins with a history of the Greece and Roman Empires which is fair enough. However it then dives into 4 or 5 characters and places which seemingly have nothing to do with each other. While taken individually the chapters are decently written and entertaining, they rarely relate to one another and I find myself trying to figure out where the author is going with things.
Towards the end of the book, it quickly turns into a diatribe about what is wrong with the world and Catholicism. I kept asking myself what George W. Bush among others has to do with the Middle Ages.
Finally, at the end of the book in the Postlude, the Author admits "The story this book has had to tell is the story of the (often overlooked and belittled) Catholic contribution to Western Civilization." This one sentence sums up what this book has been about. I'm not sure who decides the title of the book, but I am sure the Publishing company wants to take in as many people as they can to make a few bucks. It really is a shame, because nothing on the outside of the book indicates what it is truly about.
The only upside to this book is that the images, charts, and footnotes are beautifully illustrated throughout the book. Which is why I picked this one over others - I guess that is what I get for buying a book because of the pictures, as my sister succinctly pointed out.
If you are looking for a good summary of the Middle Ages, avoid this book like the plague!
 Good book, but what is the thesis? July 31, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Pros: An incredibly engaging style, great story telling ability, good subject selection.
Cons: Lack of clear thesis, weak ending, random political diatribes.
Mysteries of the Middle Ages is, for the most part, an intriguing book. It touches on a lot of different aspects of medieval life and manages to present a much more diverse picture than many books about the period. Figures like Hildegard of Bingen and Francis of Assisi leap to life in a way that I have rarely seen in a history book. Cahill certainly has a talent for storytelling and character and (what is more difficult) for telling about true stories and characters.
My enjoyment of this book is significantly diminished, however, by the fact that Cahill does not have a clearly stated thesis. The best I could tell, the thesis was something along the lines of "medieval attitudes led directly to modern attitudes". Not the most original in the world at this point of time, but fairly good for a book meant for popular consumption. If Cahill had just stated his thesis, however, the book would have been much improved.
Still, I probably would have given five stars if not for the fact that the last two chapters or so are very slow and not nearly as interesting as the rest of the book. The random diatribe against the Catholic Church at the end is a ridiculous and bizarre way to sum up this book.
Still, Cahill's sheer storytelling talent is nothing to be scoffed at. This is a book that makes me want to go out and read ten more books about some of the historical figures that were presented and this is a very good thing.
From "History" to Diatribe July 28, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
The latest offering from Thomas Cahill is, at first, a fascinating, if somewhat unfocused exploration of what he views as significant developments that influenced Western Civilization. From the influence of Western Christianity to the impact of several key women (Eleanor of Aquitane, and Hildegard of Bingen), to many others including: Saint Francis, Saint Clare, Dante, Giotto, Benedict, Peter Abelard, Thomas Aquinas. The book is beautifully illustrated, with drawings and photographs that offer a rich tapestry. The illustrations go far beyond the previous offerings in the "Hinges of History" series. In the past, I have given favorable reviews to his other offerings.
So why do I give only one star? Quite honestly, the final chapter, which is an unrelated diatribe and gratuitous invective against the Catholic Church as a whole, is an incredible add-on that has nothing to do with the topic or theme of the book. The issues of pedophilia and cover-up by certain individuals within the Catholic Church are not to be condoned; rather, they are to be condemned and have been condemned. Mr. Cahill's offense is an unwarranted grafting of unrelated matters and personal invective onto what should be an exploration of significant cultural, social, and intellectual factors of the Middle Ages as they have impacted modern society. In addition, the author takes the individual instances of abuse (as abhorrent as they are) and universalizes them to encompass the entire breadth of the Church. This one chapter alone is akin to painting the faces of Hitler and Idi Amin on Grant Wood's "American Gothic" and calling it art!
Mysteries of the Middle Ages July 27, 2008
MYSTERIES OF THE MIDDLE AGES: AND THE BEGINNING OF THE MODERN WORLD BY THOMAS CAHILL: In the fifth book in his Hinges of History series, Thomas Cahill takes on the period of the middle ages, going into depth on the important people of the era and what effect they had on the history. Regardless of the actual content of the book, Mysteries of the Middles Ages deserves an award for excellence in design and layout. It is one of the most ornate and beautifully designed books I've ever read. As soon as one opens the cover, one is greeted by color and lavish design, colorful photographs and paintings, as well as eye-catching and picaresque fonts.
Cahill begins with a somewhat lengthy introduction spending a little too much time on the content of his past books and leading through the centuries up to the fall of Rome and the beginning of the Middle Ages. He then skips past the "Dark Ages" and jumps to the twelfth century with Hildegard of Bingen. There is very little mention, and certainly no chapters on the likes of Charlemagne, Alfred the Great, or William the Conqueror, who were all incredibly important people in first setting in motion specific events, ideas, and practices that gave rise the High Middle Ages and the great strides made therein, as well as creating precedents and standards that are used in today's modern age. Subtitling this as "And the Beginning of the Modern World," is somewhat insulting when only in a small aside does Cahill discuss Muhammad and the birth of Islam in the late sixth century, after spending a quarter of the book on Jesus.
Nevertheless, for what Cahill does spend his time talking about, he does well and thoroughly. Using a conversational and at times jocular tone, making this a book for the layman, he begins with Hildegard of Bingen and then goes on to Eleanor of Aquitaine, one of the most important women in the history of the western world. It is here that Cahill digs into the deep and complex history of the High Middle Ages with the rise of the universities and the growth of science and math and art and the crucial stirrings of what would come to be known as the Renaissance, beginning in Paris, then Oxford, and finally to Italy with Padua, Florence, and Ravenna, concluding with Dante.
While Mysteries of the Middle Ages should not be considered a complete telling of the important people and "hinges" of the Middle Ages, it nevertheless is an excellent book on the High Middle Ages, and some of the important people who made great strides and leaps - sometimes at the cost of their own lives - to help create the civilized and advanced world we live in today.
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