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A Distant Mirror

The Calamitous 14th Century
By Barbara Tuchman
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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
A Distant Mirror by Barbara Tuchman delves into the tumultuous 14th century, blending political intrigue, plague, war, and religious strife into a vivid historical narrative. Focusing on the life of French nobleman Enguerrand de Coucy, the book explores how the century's challenges resonate with modern times, offering a reflective mirror on the human experience.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you're fascinated by medieval history and love to explore how the challenges and events of the 14th century reflected broader shifts in society. With its detailed narrative style, it paints a vivid picture of a turbulent era, providing insights into the complexities of human nature and historical change.

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

A classic history of fourteenth-century Europe, from the Pulitzer-Prize winning author of The Guns of August.

The fourteenth century was a time of fabled crusades and chivalry, glittering cathedrals and grand castles. It was also a time of ferocity and spiritual agony, a world of chaos and the plague.

Here, Barbara Tuchman masterfully reveals the two contradictory images of the age, examining the great rhythms of history and the grain and texture of domestic life as it was lived—what childhood was like; what marriage meant; how money, taxes and war dominated the lives of serf, noble and clergy alike.

Granting her subjects their loyalties, treacheries and guilty passions, Tuchman recreates the lives of proud cardinals, university scholars, grocers and clerks, saints and mystics, lawyers and mercenaries, and, above all, knights. The result is an astonishing reflection of medieval Europe, a historical tour de force.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

A Distant Mirror by Barbara Tuchman is lauded as a remarkable historical narrative, showcasing the author's exceptional skill and scholarly precision. Multiple reviews highlight Tuchman's ability to vividly depict the period with her wise and engaging prose, placing this work among the upper echelon of historical writing.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780241972977

Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 05 October 2017

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Penguin Books Ltd

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 48.0mm

Width: 130.0mm

Height: 199.0mm

Weight: 538g

Pages: 784

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About the Author

Barbara Tuchman achieved prominence as a historian with The Zimmerman Telegram and international fame with the Pulitzer-Prize winning The Guns of August. She is also the author of The Proud Tower, Stilwell and the American Experience in China (also awarded the Pulitzer Prize), A Distant Mirror and The March of Folly. She died in 1989. The Guns of August and The Proud Tower are published by Penguin.

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