This excellent volume combines 2 books by the highly readable Viscount Norwich. His history of the Normans in south Italy and Sicily in the 10th and 11th centuries fills a gap in our knowledge of these fascinating mercenaries who-would-be-kings and rings true even today with the impact of Europeans on the Arab world and vice-versa. Remember, the Normans (of Norman Conquest of England fame) were the descendants of Viking raiders who settled in France and their military prowess against the Byzantine Empire and conquests in Italy were just as important as their better known invasion and conquest of England and Ireland in the same centuries.

Norwich is a storyteller as much as he is a historian. He resembles Barbara Tuchman -- you might not base a doctoral thesis on his work, but he certaily provides a great read. In many ways, this work is superior to his Byzantium trilogy. This may be because he has bitten off a more managable slice of history. This allows Norwich to go deeper on the main personalities and events he is covering. You really come a way with a feeling for this remarkable adventure of the Normans in Southern Italy and the advanced and powerful state they were able to create. It also highlights thier impact on the crusades, Byzantium, and the broader struggle between the Pope and secular power. I really enjoyed this book -- so much so that I travelled to Sicily to visit some of the many amazing artifacts left behind by this underdocumented "other conquest" of the Normans.

This fascinating book covers the conquest of the Lombard, Byzantine, and Muslim areas of Southern Italy and Sicily by Normans, originally drawn to that region as pilgrims and mercenaries. The Normans came into their own in 1053, when they destroyed a Papal army meant to destroy the upstarts from the north. They later became Papal protectors and their leader, Roger II, was crowned King of Sicily by the Antipope Anacletus II in 1130. The Kingdom lasted until 1193, when Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II inherited the country.

Like Norwich's other works, this is "merely" a well-written, enjoyable, non-scholarly (but why should scholars have all the fun?) reciting of "the other Norman conquest," a history that few people have ever heard of. Norwich's dry humor keeps the reader entertained and amused throughout. For example, after describing Bernard of Clairvaux' complaint about Anacletus II's family's Jewish origins -- "it is to the injury of Christ that the pffspring of a Jew should have seized for himself the throne of St. Peter" -- Norwich comments, "The question of St. Peter's own racial origins does not seem to have occurred to him." Comparing a mosaic of King William I with the chronicler's descriptions of hs extreme handsomeness, Norwish writes, "After all we have heard of William's beauty, that round face, fair scrubby beard and slightly vacant expression come as a faint disappointment."

This book is at least as good as Norwich's Byzantium books.

I have both of Tudy's books; she also wrote The Secret Gardens of
Venice. In October, I had the honor of meeting Tudy (what a colorful and dramatic character!) in Venice and accompanying her on a private garden tour of this magical city. She truly knows the aesthetic history of Venice and it shows in her books.

This is a terrific buy. If you never wanted to go to Venice before - you will now! The photographs are outstanding and the text not too boring. An invaluable reference for artists. Thank heaven someone thought to study these ancient floors before they are lost! Supposedly "there is nothing new under the sun", well, I would consider having one of these designs in a new home, if I could find anyone with the patience to complete one!

It's a must for every kitchen. Lite meals with a flare will impress guests and are also great for the family.

It just keeps getting better! Not only was Safdie ahead of his time with the "Spa Food," but the second helping ("New Spa Food") continues the tradition. I've made wonderful, healthy dishes that amaze guests and taste wonderful. Indeed, as is true of the first volume, "Spa Food," "New Spa Food" is a must for every kitchen.

This book was great. I love it! It provides a great deal of information about Norwich.

This book was great. Ilove it! It provides a great deal of information about Norwich.

Julian Norwich's account of revelations given to her by Christ during an illness "not unto death but almost." Tender writing which will help lead any true believer into a deeper knowledge of the love of Christ, and a more wonderful realization of the deep mercifulness with which He treats those of us who wait on His compassion and mercy. That she kept the revelations vivid in her memory for nearly 20 years, before committing them to paper make them all the more dear. My heartfelt prayer a couple of years ago to "love Christ as Mary loved Him," has in part been answered by the gift of this book. Sheila Upjohn has given us a real treasure.

I've purchased numerous books on amazon.com on the subject ofmysticism, most notably female mystics of the Medieval Christianera. It's a time, place and phenomenon that is of interest to me. Usually, the books are on the scholarly side and require a bit of quiet, focused reading.

This book is a wonderful daily reader. It's divided into subjects, such as "awakening", "grace", "atonement", "peace", "night of the soul". Short selections from a variety of mystics (Hildegard Von Bingen, Mechtild of Magdeburg, Catherine of Siena, Teresa of Avila, St. Clare, et. al) are then grouped under these headings.

While I gravitate to the more lyrical entries (the poetical ones, such as Mechtild's or Catherine of Genoa's or the wonderful Hadewijch of Antwerp) and to those by St. Clare and Julian of Norwich, there is enough of a variety of these fascinating women's entries to satisfy those with tastes different from my own.

Need to work on your humility? There are passages for this. Want motivation to pray? There are selections for this, too.

The great anchoress, Julian of Norwich, says of her visions: "I lay still awake, and then our Lord opened my spiritual eyes, and showed me my soul in the midst of my heart."

These women lay bare their souls and their hearts, and this author has kindly given us digestible sections for our daily needs. For those, like me, who love this subject (mystics), there is a list of sources used in the back, and a nice set of biographical sketches.

Enjoy and be blessed! *Mir*

In a very searching time of my life, this book was given to me by a dear friend (who will receive her crown one day). It truly kindled a fire within me to "press toward the goal of the high call of God". As a nun who lived during the 14th century, Julian of Norwich was not affluent, influential or even in a large community. She was a nun in a small convent. God chose to heal her as she was dying, and then use her to speak to us today in a way that will create a fire within you to know Him. The obvious changes were made to put the book in a readable, updated language form, breaking down it into daily devotionals. Yet you continue to feel the heart of Julian. Yes, Julian of Norwich was truly a woman with a deep love for and intimate relationship with the Lord. May we all find such a place.

Julian of Norwich, a "simple creature unlettered" and the achoress of St. Julian Church in Norwich, received a revelation from God in 1373 that inspired her to write A Revelation of Love in two forms, commonly called the long and short texts. The short text, written after the revelation, reflects the immediacy of Julian's experience, whereas the long text shows the fruit of two decades of reflection. This book provides a close and historically sensitive reading of Julian's Revelation of Love that addresses the question of the relationship between our understanding of God and our vision of human community. By examining Julian's images of Christ's body, this book looks for the political implications of Julian's visions. A must read for the Christian political scientist.

This book is a series of short, 5-6 page, selections from the writings of Julian of Norwich and the writer's comments upon them, as to what Julian learned about the Christian life through her contemplation and the living out of her life: God revealing Himself, our desiring God, sharing God's grace with others, journeying towards God, living through difficulties and pain, learning to be compassionate, and continuing on. Each of the 29 chapters starts with a portion of her writing, and then proceeds to expound upon it. The author, Dr. Austin Cooper, lectures and teaches primarily on Christian spirituality and Church history. A very helpful book in explaining the very current relevance of this 14th-century mystic's writings to our attempts to grow in the spiritual life today.

Before I read this book, I knew nothing about Byzantium. So I was a bit overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information, and realized after I started that I had made a mistake; I didn't realize when I bought this book that it was the third volume of a three-volume set. Doubtless, it would have been less overwhelming to start at the beginning, especially for someone like me, with no previous knowledge of the subject. Still, I learned a great deal from this book; not only was it informative, but it wasn't nearly as dry and impenatrable as I'd been afraid it might be. In fact, the style is downright readable; Norwich actually has a rather pleasant, if dry, sense of humor.

I definitely plan on getting the first two volumes of this series, and continuing my education on the history of Byzantium.

The final volume of Norwich's Byzantine history is a literary trimph, despite the disintegrating nature of the civilization being written about. In this volume Norwich begins in the aftermath of the battle of Manzikert in 1071 and finishes with the conquest of Constantinople by the Ottomans in 1453. Norwich uses his elegant prose style to present this tragic story in a highly moving way.

All three volumes read like a eulogy at the funeral of beloved relative. In this period of dehumanizing social sciences Norwich brings the people of the past alive, and treats them with respect and dignity even when their behavior does not necessarily inspire kind treatment. The role and majesty of Byzantium has been overlooked in the West for centuries; in doing his best to rectify that Norwich has created one of the masterpieces of historical writing.

This, the final volume of a 3 book series, brings to end a rivetting and excellent histoty of the Byzantium Empire. I cannot add anything to the other reviews and comments on this series other than to say if your enjoy reading about history you should love these accounts of this Empire and its times. I found my first volume in a 2nd hand shop without knowing anything about its author or the subject matter. It was a great read and I could not wait to buy the following two volumes. I only wish I had read these books before I visited Istanbul in 1990. I loved them, they are excellent histories, the author does a great job in bringing the characters and times to live. Read the series and lose yourself in the history. Great books!