City Travel Guides > Books > Classical- Early and Medieval

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.Poetics (Penguin Classics)
City Travel Guides > Books > Classical- Early and Medieval
by: Aristotle

September 26, 1996
If you have an interest in writing, or in Literature, or even philosophy or psychology, then Aristotle's Poetics is a very good book for you to read: Aristotle had a burning desire to understand the drives and ambitions of human beings -- he yearned to understand the human world. In the book, Malcolm Heath explains (very well, I might add) the thoughts of Aristotle, concerning his understanding of the human necessity for expression. If you want to be a writer, or want to comprehend the roots of Literature, Poetics is a vital source of essential and fundamental information. Heath additionally refers to many of Aristotle's other notes in order to present an unbiased and comprehensive case. I very much recommend this book to anyone, especially ... Read More:
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.The Annals of Imperial Rome (Classics)
City Travel Guides > Books > Classical- Early and Medieval
by: Cornelius Tacitus

July 26, 1973
This is a must for history students and buffs alike. In fact is is a great read full stop! Many books of this genre are dry but Tacitus takes you there and his commentary is both concise, and at times caustic and witty.
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.Republic (Oxford World's Classics)
City Travel Guides > Books > Classical- Early and Medieval
by: Plato

March 05, 1998
Certainly a must read for anyone interested in politics or philosophy. This is a cornerstone of western philosophy and deserves to be read far into the future. Relatively clear, easy to understand and a joy to read.

This Penguin Classics edition also has an excellent introduction (spanning more than 50 pages), and very useful translation notes. Each new chapter has a brief introduction explaning the main points and ideas running through the chapter. Given the price, this edition is a bargain.
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.The Histories (Penguin Classics)
City Travel Guides > Books > Classical- Early and Medieval
by: Herodotus

September 28, 2004
My preconception was that ancient history like this was hard to read. How wrong. This book is absolutely gripping. It is full of asides and stories that will keep even tabloid readers awake. I don't know why I read so much Greek and Persian history second-hand ... it was from the Father of History that it was most readable! I have not only been able to read about the principal wars, battles, and Kings, but been bedazzled and amused. Highly recommended.

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.The Letters of Pliny the Younger (Penguin Classics)
City Travel Guides > Books > Classical- Early and Medieval
by: Pliny the Younger

January 31, 1974
Many books have been penned about Ancient Rome. Some are well written and know what the're talking about - whilst others are long-winded and can bore you to tears in thirty seconds. Well, how about slicing through all that - and reading the words of a man who was actually there?

Pliny (the Younger) was a Roman nobleman born around 61AD. He served as a magistrate under the emperor Trajan, and was the nephew of Pliny (the Elder) the famous statesman and writer. It's refreshing to read the words of an actual Roman for a change instead of those of ancient or modern historians, and Pliny's letters cover many fascinating aspects of roman life. Also gratifying is that often we are also given the replies.

Among the topics covered are; family, ... Read More:
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.Domesday Book: A Complete Translation (Penguin Classics)
City Travel Guides > Books > Classical- Early and Medieval
by: Alecto Historical Editions

October 30, 2003
There are few historical documents now over 900 years old that are frequently quoted in courts of law to clarifie points of law.

The Domesday volumes,Great Domesday and Little Domesday as they are known are kept within a large 14Century chest at the Public Records Office at Kew in London.On prior arrangement and a fee you are allowed to examine under strict supervision the contents of either volume but unless you are a scholar in early Latin their velum pages will mean little.

In the early 1980s a most impressive hardback series totalling every county surveyed by Williams officials known as The Philimore Collection became available but at a considerable cost.I know because i bought the Hereford volume with its gorgeous red cover to help ... Read More:
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.The Letters of Abelard and Heloise (Penguin Classics)
City Travel Guides > Books > Classical- Early and Medieval
by: Peter Abelard, Abbess of the Paraclete Heloise

November 27, 2003
This high-medieval love story, which the reader traces in an exchange of exquisitly written letters between two brilliant minds of the time, raises all sorts of issues. The medieval idea of the body and sexuality, what is right and wrong in terms of what is pleasing/unpleasing to God, but ubove all it is about the expression and the working out of the idea of love, both towards the divine and between man and woman.

It also gives us an interesting take on medieval life of the intellectual class. What life was like in Paris at the time of the founding of its first University is mapped out in the historia calamitatum, but also the real historical threat of heresy accusation under which Abelard laboured for his philosophical and theological insights. Also the issue ... Read More:
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.The Journey Through Wales and the Description of Wales (Classics)
City Travel Guides > Books > Classical- Early and Medieval
by: Gerald of Wales Giraldus Cambrensis

September 28, 1978
Gerald of Wales was Archdeacon of Brecon in the 12th century and along with Archbishop Baldwin he travelled around Wales to drum up support for the Third Crusade. This book was supposed to record the day-to-day events of the mission but Gerald was a bit of a raconteur, he also wrote about everything else that caught his eye. He knew everyone who was anyone in the 12th century and wrote about them all, sometimes with quite a bit of venom! He aspired to be Bishop of St David's (a role he'd never get) and would often write snide remarks about the man who did get the job. He also wrote about local legends that he'd heard, mythical creatures, saintly relics, described beautifully the landscapes and people that he met along the way. He writes with wit and humour throughout the ... Read More:
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.The Ecclesiastical History of the English People (Oxford World's Classics)
City Travel Guides > Books > Classical- Early and Medieval
by: Bede

January 21, 1999
It's hard to overestimate the importance of the Venerable Bede and his Historia Ecclesiastica. He was the first to catalogue and write down the early English history, and in doing it well he set a real standard to live up to for future historians.
Although written in 731, Bede's history (at least in this version) is an easy read, moving from Roman times to Bede's own day, taking in the squabbles of the several English kingdoms, the missions of Augustine in the south and the Celtic saints in the north. It's a fascinating period of history, not least because history courses often seem to start with 1066 and take it from there.
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.Lives of the Caesars (Oxford World's Classics)
City Travel Guides > Books > Classical- Early and Medieval
by: Suetonius

November 02, 2000
It's hard to overestimate the importance of the Venerable Bede and his Historia Ecclesiastica. He was the first to catalogue and write down the early English history, and in doing it well he set a real standard to live up to for future historians.
Although written in 731, Bede's history (at least in this version) is an easy read, moving from Roman times to Bede's own day, taking in the squabbles of the several English kingdoms, the missions of Augustine in the south and the Celtic saints in the north. It's a fascinating period of history, not least because history courses often seem to start with 1066 and take it from there.
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