The Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages

What's the difference between a Guelph and a Ghibelline? How many lines of verse are in a ghazal? Whatever happened to the Ostrogoths? Medieval enthusiasts can now thoroughly indulge their curiosity with this fully illustrated A to Z reference book presented by Norman F. Cantor, one of the world's most distinguished medieval scholars. From the fall of Rome to the beginning of the Renaissance, this comprehensive work presents the full pageant of medieval times across the entire Old World, with articles on the New World, Africa, and the Far East as well. Twenty major essays anchor the text while more than 600 entries written by a coterie of the world's best medieval historians and writers provide specific information on everything from the Abbadid Dynasty to the Seal of Zug. Interspersed throughout are maps, diagrams, and more than 250 color and black-and-white illustrations detailing all the elements of everyday life: dress, locales, edifices, ceremonies, customs, military tactics, travel, home life, commerce, religion, and royalty. And at every opportunity, material is compared with the modern life through "then and now" images, an ingenious tool that sheds new light on the origins of modern social and political phenomena. Interest in the Middle Ages is stronger than ever as it becomes more and more evident that the modern period has much more in common with the medieval world than previously imagined. Authoritative, entertaining, and full of the excitement and grandeur of a remarkable period in human history, The Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages is an indispensable home reference work that will---with every page---deliver readers into the heart of the Middle Ages.