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| Author: Thomas Cahill
Publisher: Anchor
Category: Book
List Price: $19.95
Buy New: $11.90
You Save: $8.05 (40%)
New (36) Used (21) Collectible (1) from $7.83
Avg. Customer Rating:  17 reviews
Sales Rank: 50072
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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| Customer Reviews:
 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
7 out of 9 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
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
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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Sweeping Ignorance July 26, 2008
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
This book is a mishmash of sweeping generalizations whose theme seems to be that what is worthwhile in Catholicism is characterized by the celebration of poverty and the tolerance of sexual peccadilloes. After making the point that medievals did not think like moderns in many places, the author strives to disprove his own thesis by citing outre' and mostly ill justified examples (among others the idea that St Clare was sexually attracted to St Francis). When the author delves into history, he is abysmally ignorant, perpetuating islamist apologias of the variety characterized by judgmental excoriations of the Crusades and the idea that since Islam won't change the West must. His credulous belief in the hatchet job of the Byzantine author Procopius shows that he must believe that the National Enquirer constitutes journalism. His dismissal of the Children's Crusade and acceptance of the Marco Polo story whole quill are further examples of revisionist history and lamentable judgement. I would give this effort zero stars but the book itself is extremely well produced with interesting and well done illustrations of some of the less well known gems of Italian art - so one star it is.
Cahill Consistent June 17, 2008
Thomas Cahill has written another fantastic history book. He has the abiltiy to unlock mysteries and bring together themes in a very readable manner. This book especially is assisted by excellent photography and drawings.
Highly recommended and can't wait for the next book in the series.
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