A Rich Archive of Medieval Vignettes From Authentic Pages of HistoryIn this artful look back at the fascinating facets of medieval society; the realms and reveries of the Middle Ages unfold in more than 750 black-and-white illustrations. Crisp depictions of battling warriors; everyday business and industry; architectural motifs; religious and secular celebrations; calligraphy; beasts of myth and legend; and other elements of daily medieval life and beliefs abound. Masterfully reproduced from rare sources; these genuine images were created by artists throughout medieval Europe. Ideal for use in a broad spectrum of graphic and craft projects; this treasury of illustrations will also delight students and enthusiasts of history.
#2865768 in eBooks 2013-01-18 2013-01-18File Name: B00A73FCXA
Review
1 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Fun readBy mikeyThe narrative is hokey; but you can tell the author knows his Ziggy facts. Interesting how he develops all of the ingredients to make our Cosmic Messiah. Ziggy Rules!0 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Four StarsBy Alden NagelHella bloody good m81 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Revelatory but often overblown in argument and styleBy John PlowrightI was delighted to receive Simon Goddardrsquo;s lsquo;Ziggyology. A Brief History of Ziggy Stardustrsquo; as part of a Christmas present. I consumed it in a single day; which speaks volumes for its readability. Having said that; itrsquo;s a rather odd book; with Goddard spending a lot of time exploring the background to Bowiersquo;s idea of a Martian falling to earth; and how hersquo;d appear. His investigation considers; amongst others; Copernicus; Giordano Bruno; Galileo; Kepler; the Kabukimono; Gustav Holst; H. G.Wells; Orson Welles and Stanley Kubrick.All of this material makes interesting reading with some fascinating connections but at times Goddard seems chiefly interested in parading his eclectic knowledge and overreaches himself; most notably when he presents Beethoven as the inventor of rock lsquo;nrsquo; roll.He is no stranger to hyperbole; his prose is often purple; he doesnrsquo;t always write in sentences and another aspect of Goddardrsquo;s writing is a tendency to write about things he can only imagine rather than actually know ndash; something which is most annoying when he repeatedly tells the reader what thoughts were passing through Bowiersquo;s head as he looked at himself in the mirror.This is all the more surprising given that the book is meticulously researched; although even here Goddard canrsquo;t self-edit and on one occasion not only tells us when Bowie appeared on UK TV but provides details of what was available on the other channels at the same time; including all the ITV regional variations.The book; for all its faults; is nevertheless worth reading; not least for the insight which it provides into the often eccentric cast of characters who found themselves within the Starmanrsquo;s orbit; including Andy Warhol; Lou Reed; Iggy Pop; Ian Hunter and the Spiders from Mars. Best of all is the way the book charts the friendship and rivalry between Bowie and Marc Bolan: a relationship which for a while briefly mirrored that of Lennon and McCartney in inspiring both of them to excel.To sum up. lsquo;Ziggyologyrsquo; is often thought provoking and revelatory but equally often overblown in argument and style. Its odd emphases mean that I learned more about the evolution of Bowiersquo;s hairstyles and make-up than about his lyrics or music; although I suppose at the time these all contributed to making Ziggyrsquo;s appearance so extraordinary and long lasting in its impact.