Monasteries are among the most intriguing & enduring symbols of Britains medieval heritage. Simultaneously places of prayer & spirituality power & charity learning & invention they survive today as haunting ruins great houses & as some of our most important cathedrals & churches. This book examines the growth of monasticism & the different orders of monks; the architecture & administration of monasteries; the daily life of monks & nuns; the art of monasteries & their libraries; their role in caring for the poor & sick; their power & wealth; their decline & suppression; & their ruin & rescue. With beautiful photographs it illustrates some of Britains finest surviving monastic buildings such as the cloisters of Gloucester Cathedral & the awe-inspiring ruins of Rievaulx Abbey in North Yorkshire. ...

Sir Anthony Kenny continues his magisterial new history of Western philosophy with a fascinating guide through more than a millennium of thought from 400 AD onwards charting the story of philosophy from the founders of Christian & Islamic thought through to the Renaissance. The middle ages saw a great flourishing of philosophy & the intellectual endeavour of the era reaches its climax in the thirteenth & fourteenth centuries with the systems of the great schoolmen such as Thomas Aquinas & John Duns Scotus. Specially written for a broad popular readership but serious & deep enough to offer a genuine understanding of the great philosophers Kennys lucid & stimulating history will become the definitive work for anyone interested in the people & ideas that shaped the course of Western thought. ...

The medieval economy was centred on a phenomenal growth in trade of all kinds of goods yet few have studied the actual network of roads that was so vital to medieval trading. Starting with the basic concept of a road in medieval times & discussing the increasing need to travel this book explores the evidence from documents & maps that provide clues as to where the roads of medieval Britain led connecting the study of individual roads together to paint an image of the broader road network. The author also uses findings from archaeological surveys & birds-eye-view photographs to trace the centuries-old routes & illustrate the winding tracks that once carried goods to market. ...

As the Viking Age gave way to the Middle Ages the development of Scandinavian armies showed special local characteristics due both to the rough terrain & the relatively egalitarian nature of society. Though Denmarks proximity to Germany led to the appearance there of a kind of feudal system & some heavy armoured cavalry in Sweden & Norway there was fairly willing co-operation between the few nobles & the many free farmers. This book shows how armies were of local infantry levies raised by democratic methods to defend home territory. It also details how the crossbow became very important along with ambush tactics & winter campaigning employing the use of sledges & skis. ...

Suffolk was one of the most important regions of England in the middle ages. Even by 1200 it was wealthy densely populated highly commercialised & urbanised; & it survived the impact of three of the most tumultuous events of the last millennium the Great Famine (1315-22) the Black Death (1349) & the Peasants Revolt (1381) to become by 1500 one of the richest & most industrialised regions of England based on cloth manufacture fishing & tanning. This first volume in a series which will become the definitive History of Suffolk describes documents & analyses these events. It combines an accessible & readable summary of the current state of knowledge with fresh insights drawn from extensive investigations of primary sources. Overall it offers a guide to & re-evaluation of the history of late medieval Suffolk. Mark Bailey is senior visiting lecturer at the University of Leeds & Headmaster of The Grammar School at Leeds. ...

Highly Commended in the Best Archaeological Book category of the 2008 British Archaeological Awards. Wall paintings are a unique art form complementing & yet distinctly separate from other religious imagery in churches. Unlike carvings or stained glass windows their support was the structure itself with the artists canvas the very stone & plaster of the church. They were also monumental often larger than life-size images for public audiences. Notwithstanding their dissimilarity from other religious art wall paintings were also an integral part of church interiors enhancing devotional imagery & inspiring faith & commitment in their own right & providing an artistic setting for the churchs sacred rituals & public ceremonies. This book brings together often for the first time many of the very best surviving examples of medieval church wall paintings. Using new technologies & many previously untried techniques it allows us to visualize these images as the artists originally intended. The plates are accompanied by an authoritative & scholarly text bringing the imagery & iconography of the medieval church vividly to life. ROGER ROSEWELL was educated at St Edmund Hall Oxford University. A former journalist he is a Director of a private European art foundation & the news editor of the online stained glass magazine VIDIMUS. ...

Apart from being a path for self-awareness Meditation is becoming an essential tool for controlling your reactions changing your perceptions bringing calmness & peace into your life & giving you greater clarity & insight into human relationships. Meditation also has several health benefits that have been researched & documented by the scientific community. In today's age of the troubled individual broken relationships & confusion about the direction of life Meditation has emerged as a powerful force in regaining self-control & inner stability. A teacher of Meditation the author explains this ancient science in a lucid practical & extremely simple manner. ...

Take an inward journey for a happier healthier more productive life Meditation is a great way to reduce stress increase energy & enjoy better health. It is believed to result in a state of greater calmness & physical relaxation & psychological balance. Plus practicing meditation can change how you relate to the flow of emotions & thoughts in your everyday life. This fun & easy guide has long been a favorite with meditation newcomers.. .and now it's even better. Meditation For Dummies offers a newly recorded CD featuring more than 70 minutes of music & guided meditations that are keyed to topics in the book from tuning in to your body transforming suffering & replacing negative patterns to grounding yourself consulting the guru within & finding a peaceful place. The book also discusses the latest research on the health benefits of meditation along with new advice on how to get the most out of meditation in today's fast-paced world.

Includes:: new information on the recent research on the causes of happiness & how meditation can improve mood Features a set of suggested meditations for becoming happier Examines new research on brain changes in people practicing meditation New revised & refreshed content throughout including insight into the best meditation apps electronic content & websites Praised by Deepak Chopra as a useful guidebook filled with clear instructions & helpful hints " this hands-on friendly guide gives you everything you need to begin experiencing the many benefits of meditation. CD-ROM/DVD & other supplementary materials are not included as part of the e-book file but are available for download after purchase."

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Throughout history some books have changed the world. They have transformed the way we see ourselves & each other. They have inspired debate dissent war & revolution. They have enlightened outraged provoked & comforted. They have enriched lives & destroyed them. Now Penguin brings you the works of the great thinkers pioneers radicals & visionaries whose ideas shook civilization & helped make us who we are. ...

Few ancient works have been as influential as the MEDITATIONS of Marcus Aurelius. A series of spiritual exercises filled with wisdom practical guidance & profound understanding of human behaviour it remains one of the greatest works of spiritual & ethical reflection ever written. Marcuss insights & advice
- on everything from living in the world to coping with adversity & interacting with others
- have made the MEDITATIONS required reading for statesmen & philosophers alike while generations of ordinary readers have responded to the straightforward intimacy of his style. In Gregory Hayss new translation
- the first in thirty-five years
- Marcuss thoughts speak with a new immediacy. In fresh & unencumbered English Hays vividly conveys the spareness & compression of the original Greek text. Never before have Marcuss insights been so directly & powerfully presented.



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