This history of practitioners of "service magic" in medieval and early modern Europe reveals the central place they occupied in everyday life and how they helped soothe the anxieties of both commoners and nobles.

"A lively and magisterial popular history that refutes common misperceptions of the European Middle Ages, showing the beauty and communion that flourished alongside the dark brutality-a brilliant reflection of humanity itself."--Dust jacket

One of the world's leading historians re-examines World War II and its outcome
A clear-eyed reappraisal of World War II that offers new insight by reevaluating well-established facts and pointing out lesser-known ones, No Simple Victory asks readers to reconsider what they know about the war, and how that knowledge might be biased or incorrect. Norman Davies poses simple questions that have unexpected answers: Can you name the five...

From the inimitable and bestselling author Thomas Cahill, another popular history, focusing on the Renaissance and Reformation and how this innovative period changed the Western world.

The epic saga of the Spinoza family that spans a thousand years of European and Jewish history and revolves around a secret manuscript containing the recipe for immortality.

Revised for the seven hundredth anniversary of the author's birth, this tale of medieval Italian life details how ten young Florentines retreat to the countryside to escape the plague-infested city and entertain themselves by telling stories.

"A travel narrative following three ancient roads and looking at more than two thousand years of history of Ancient Rome through the modern eye. In 66 B.C., young, ambitious Julius Caesar, seeking recognition and authority, became the curator of the Via Appia. He borrowed significant sums to restore the ancient highway. It was a way to curry favor from Roman citizens in villages along the route, built from Rome to Brindisi between 312-191 B.C. He...

"The ideal guide for students, backpackers, flashpackers, and budget-minded travelers who want to reduce their travel costs without sacrificing the quality of their travel"--Publisher's description.

"A deep-cover CIA agent races across Europe to save the daughter he never knew... In the end, you cannot hide who you are. Klara Walldéen was raised by her grandparents on a remote archipelago in the Baltic Sea, learning to fish and hunt and sail a boat through a storm. Now, as an EU Parliament aide in Brussels, she is learning how to navigate the treacherous currents of international politics: the lines between friend and enemy, truth and lies....

In this book, Henri Pirenne, the great Belgian economic historian, traces the character and general movement of the economic and social evolution of Western Europe from the end of the Roman Empire to the middle of the fifteenth century. From the breakup of the economic equilibrium of the ancient world to the revival of commerce, the redevelopment of credit, the trade of commodities, the origins of urban industry, and the rebirth of new forms of protectionism,...