This new edition of Fr. John-Julian's translation of Julian's revelations is a rare gift. Julian's theology gives us hope, and this edition gives us a way into her thinking. This edition is intended for devotional use, but is excellent for study as well. The translation makes her writing accessible for the modern reader, and the work is divided into easily-digested daily readings. If you have been wanting to read Julian but have found other editions daunting, please try this one. You won't be sorry.

Hardcover, 180 pages, 10.5" by 14.5" ...Yes, I said fourteen and a half inches tall!

Its a great book for children & adults who love famous palaces & castles of the world. Many color photos, history, floorplan, and a beautifully colored cutaway drawing of each of the 12 residences. They include: Windsor Castle(England); The Alhambra(Spain); Neuschwanstein Castle(Germany); Peterhof(Russia); Red Fort(India); Katsura(Japan); Versailles(France); The Doge's Palace(Italy); Royal Palace of Stockholm(Sweden); Topkapi(Turkey); The Potala(Tibet); Hearst Castle(California).

Medieval Women Mystics: Gertrude the Great, Angela of Foligno, Birgitta of Sweden, Julian of Norwich: Selcted Spiritual Writings

Medieval Women Mystics is a wonderfully inspirational and uplifting book of spiritual writings by women who lived in the medieval era during the radically changing Christian reform. These writings were compiled and edited by a contemplative nun of the Carmelite Order, Sister Elizabeth Ruth Obbard.

In the introduction, Obbard introduces us to the medieval era and explains how the roles of women were changing and how their individual philosophy was mimicking the changes within society. Women were forming new religious orders, such as the beguines, and women saints were suddenly increasing in number. Women were stepping into new religious roles while the men were away on crusades. Many were adopting prophetic roles. As the age of romance and chivalry unfolded, women began to incorporate passion and romance into their Christianity, desiring to be the bride of the Lord. It was an era of widespread upheaval in the belief s of Christians.

Another important change that took place during this period was in education. Previously, education had been reserved for the elite, royalty or the wealthiest of the upper echelons of society. During medieval times, as women were elevated in their position in society, they were given the opportunity to learn to read and write. Many of them began to record their thoughts in written form. But while the men focused their writing on the theological aspect of spirituality, the women utilized all their senses, including their sexuality. This got their writings swept under the carpet and mostly ignored. It is only in the recent years, as the feminist movement has gained widespread support, that these writings are beginning to be taken seriously in the world of Christianity.

Obbard has arranged her book into four sections, one for each of the women included: Gertrude the Great, Angela of Foligno, Birgitta of Sweden, and Julian of Norwich. All four women lived between 1248 and 1420, but their lives were quite different in many respects. Each section begins with an introduction that tells about the woman, when she lived, how she lived, and what she believed. Then, Obbard provides many pages of their writings, covering the widest array of spiritual topics imaginable. My favorite was Gertrude the Great, who maintained that God was, in fact, a woman.

These writings will uplift your soul and warm your heart. They are the testimonies of four women that were thinking and acting ahead of their time. These women had a message to deliver to the world and had a gift for delivering it through the written word. Their writings are beautiful!

My parish spirituality book club discussed this book, and it was one of our favorites. Julian's worldview is so positive and uplifting, and images from her writing will stay with us for years to come. Nearly all of us in the group went on to buy Revelations of Divine Love (Julian's original work). This book offered an insightful introduction, excellent reflections, and a summary of Julian's main thought. It is the type of book that can be read in an hour or two or used for an entire retreat. Highly recommended.

I am a member of the Order of Julian of Norwich, but this book speaks wonderfully to all of us. Ms. Luebering has chosen the essence of the Book of Job as the example of meaningless suffering. The words of Julian of Norwich provide compassion and response. The author also provides convincing personalities for Job and Julian. Each chapter is a session with useful questions for reflection at the end.

Note: The review cited above refers only to the first volume in this excellent history of Byzantium (the whole trilogy will apparently appear in abridged form in March 1998).

This second volume covers the period from 800AD and the coronation of Charlemagne (which irrevocably split the Roman Empire into "West" and "East") to the battle of Manzikert in 1071 which saw Constantinople cut off to a large degree from its principal resources in Asia Minor (after the Imperial army was defeated by the Seljuk Turks). Throughout the narrative Lord Norwich concentrates to a large degree on the constant conflicts between the Empire and its neighbours - the Bulgars to the north-west, the Rus to the north east and the forces of Islam to the south.

A sense of ultimate doom is inevitable as you read the book, and yet some of the greatest characters in Byzantine history make their appearance in this period. This appears, indeed, to be the apogee of the eastern empire and you are left in little doubt as to what would have happened to the subsequent history of Europe if emperors with the power and wisdom of Basil II had not come to the throne and countered the forces pressing from the east and south.

There are so many frustrating questions as well: how might the history of Christianity have differed if the personalities involved in the "filioque" controversy - which contributed greatly to the schism between the eastern and western church - had been different? Might there still have been an Eastern Empire (or its close descendent) today if the amicable terms agreed between the Seljuk Turks and the defeated emperor Romanus Diogenes been honoured by those who overthrew him?

We will never know, of course, but it is fun to speculate and this excellent overview of the highpoint of Byzantine history provides an excellent platform for asking that most intriguing of historical questions "what if ......?"

This book was the first I read of Norwich's trilogy - by accident, of course. I didn't realize it was the second of three books until I started reading it. It is SUCH a fascinating account of an empire that is now gone. I became interested in reading about the history of the Turkish area when I visited Istanbul last summer, and am now very interested in the rich history of that city. The debt owed to Byzantium is more than most of us ever learn about. Byzantium's rich culture retained much ancient learning which served eventually to spur Europe out of the dark ages.

It is impossible to read this book without becoming consumed with curiosity for the other two books of the trilogy. The reader gets a very good look at the inside of the empire, but also is given glimpses of other empires and peoples as they affected or interacted with the direction of Byzantium. Personalities, politics and intrigues; families, buildings and architecture; religion, government, and commerce; geography, weather, and natural disasters; armies, navies and strategy; invasions, skirmishes, disease, torture, destruction, death and birth; all are given in depth treatment by Norwich in order to show the meandering evolution of the Byzantium Empire and its interactions with Europe and the Middle East. The book is richly annotated, which adds greatly to the enjoyment, in my opinion.

The beginning of the book sees religious dogma continuing to widen the schism between the Western and Eastern Empires and the end of the book sees the Byzantium facing its first major loss of land in military defeat to the Turks.

I highly recommend the trilogy to all history buffs.

This, the second volume of Norwich's Byzantine history, is the climactic center of the story. The book begins with Charlemagne's corronation in 800 -- an act that destroyed the idea of a universal Christendom -- and concludes with the battle of Manzikert in 1071 -- one of the most consequential and regrettable military losses in European history. In between we learn about the Viking impact on Byzantium, conflicts with Kievan Rus, the rise of the Bulgar Empire, and the growing and intensifying conflict between Orthodoxy and Catholicism. Family and court intrigues are illuminated, while changes in religion, art, and leisure are explained. Norwich uses his amazing command of the English language to take us on a wild rollercoaster ride through the changing fortunes of Europe's chief protector, finally leaving us with a strong sense of the impending doom in store for both Byzantium and Europe as a whole.

As both a Norwich graduate and a Civil War history enthusiast (and female, by the way), this book was a pleasure to read. It stirred up a great deal of pride in my alma mater, although there was certainly none lacking before! Norwich University could easily be considered a best-kept secret these days. It is a very fine institution, the country's oldest private military college, but not familiar to many people. But at the time of the Civil War, Norwich was indeed well-known, and in fact, second only to West Point in the number of soldiers it provided. The bravery and devotion of Norwich men was second to none. It was amazing to realize how many examples of Norwich valour exist...like Major Edmund Rice, who earned the Medal of Honor for his role in turning back Pickett's Charge at the "High Water Mark". Norwich contribution in the Civil War proved to be so extensive that Poirier found it necessary to limit the focus of this book to those who served in the Army of the Potomac. His book can only begin to give Norwich her long overdue recognition as instrumental in helping to win the Civil War and actually raises many more interesting areas of research I would love to see explored in the future. I can only hope that interest in this book will not come only from Norwich alumni! It is quite well-written and anyone with an interest in Civil War history would find it very entertaining and informative.

Norwich University is the Military College of Vermont and as this book shows they produced some excellent soldiers who served with distinction in all ranks of the Federal Army. One graduate led a corps, seven led divisions, twenty-one commanded brigades and thirty-eight led regiments which is an outstanding number considering the size of the college student roll.

As the title suggests the book concentrates on the Army of the Potomac and follows the careers of Norwich alumni through the campaigns and battles fought by the Army of the Potomac, from First Bull Run and Ball's Bluff through to the final battles of 1865. The author offers a decent overview of the war but his emphasis is on the men of Norwich, where they served and how they served. This story is woven into the fabric of the narrative quite well and shows the depth of research conducted by the author, Robert G. Poirier.

Mr Poirer is a 1966 graduate of Norwich University and a veteran of the Vietnam War. His pride in his old Alumni shows in his presentation of this book. Throughout the narrative the stories and recollections of these men offer an interesting insight into the war as fought by the Army of the Potomac. On a number of occasions we are presented with outstanding accounts of bravery by these men, some that were later awarded the highest award for bravery. The story of Thomas Seaver's Medal of Honor is one such account. Another is the story of Sergeant Thomas Plunkett at Fredericksburg, who's arms were blown off by a cannon shot but continued to hold his colours with his bleeding stumps until they were taken by another member of the 21st Massachusetts Infantry.

The book also offers some information on the careers of Norwich alumni who served in the other theatres of the Civil War and in the Federal Navy. Also covered are those who served under a different flag, the 'Stars & Bars' of the Confederacy.

The book has some very detailed appendixes with a complete alphabetical listing of alumni, on alumni by Regiments, information on battles and other engagements and much more.

This book would be an absolute must for anyone who had every attended at Norwich University and still offers something to those who look for a slightly different account of the American Civil War. This is a finely told, well-presented and very well researched account of a little known subject of the Civil War. The book offers a number of black and white photos of the men who served along with a number of maps of the campaigns.

Robert G. Poirier is a proud 1966 graduate of Norwich University, the Military College of Vermont, located on "The Hill" in Northfield, Vermont. A decorated Vietnam War veteran, Poirier?s previous work include Red Army Order of Battle (Presidio Press, 1985) and numerous articles, one a study of the contributions by Norwich graduates to the Union victory at the battle of Gettysburg.
In By the Blood of Our Alumni, Poirier repudiates the misguided historical record that rarely mentions the alumni of the nation's other military academy - Norwich University. Asserting correctly that the contributions rendered by Norwich men in the Civil War are undervalued and under reported, little understood? (p. iv.), he strives to revive the neglected historical record to reclaim for Norwich her rightful place, alongside the United States Military Academy, the Virginia Military Institute, and The Citadel, in the historical legacy of service to America.
By the Blood of Our Alumni is the first comprehensive narrative history on the Civil War roles of Norwich University graduates. Poirier drew upon previously written accounts of Norwich to build his database of graduates and their service records. The "Civil War Honor Roll of 1865" contained in the University Reveille, vol. 6, no. 1, April 1865, provided a treasure trove of information. Other valuable sources were William A. Ellis?s History of Norwich University: Her History, Her Graduates, Her Roll of Honor (Claremont, N.H., 1898) and Robert O. Gwinn?s The History of Norwich University, 1912-1965 (Northfield, VT., 1965). However, the mere "scant mention" (p.iv.) by Howard Coffin of the participation of Norwich graduates in his Full Duty: Vermonters in the Civil War (Woodstock, VT., 1993) provided the final impetus to Poirier to correct "an important and largely forgotten aspect of the War of the Rebellion." (p. iv.).
Founded in 1819, Vermont's Norwich turned out hundreds of officers and soldiers who served with the Federal armies in the Civil War, including four winners of the Congressional Medal of Honor. One graduate led a corps, seven more headed divisions, 21 commanded brigades, 38 led regiments, and various alumni served in 131 different regimental organizations. In addition, these men were eyewitnesses to some of the war's most dramatic events, including the bloodiest day of the conflict at Antietam, the attack up Marye's Heights at Fredericksburg, and the repulse of Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg. Seven hundred and fifty Norwich men served in the Civil War, of whom sixty fought for the Confederacy.
This reviewer's motivation in reading By the Blood of Our Alumni was to determine whether one particularly effective artillery battery commander, James A. Hall of Maine, was trained at Norwich. Unfortunately, in the Hall case, insufficient evidence prohibits a definitive answer. Poirier explains in great detail this particular research dilemma in a three-page appendix.
To the benefit of the reader and researcher, Poirier cites the unfortunate gaps in Norwich records as the greatest problem in his research. A fire in 1866 damaged and destroyed many of the cadet records. In many cases, the fact that an individual had attended Norwich was completely lost. For example, evidence indicates that both Maj. Gen. Alfred H. Terry of Fort Fisher fame and the James A. Hall of the 2nd Maine Battery were Norwich men. Despite extensive efforts, in the end, Poirier honestly admits that he could neither confirm nor deny their Norwich connection and had to downplay their role, perhaps unjustly. Poirier correctly errs on the side of caution and conservatism in including soldiers in his database of Norwich Civil War heroes.
The training offered by the Norwich program of special military courses qualified civilians for commissions, as well as upgraded to skills of officers who had already volunteered. In addition to infantry training, the University cadets drilled with two six-pounder smoothbore howitzers issued to Norwich in 1853 by the state of Vermont.
Behind every great battlefield commander lies the solid backing of effective training.
Poirier's work succeeds in promoting the once neglected role and influence of Norwich University as significant in the Union's Army of the Potomac in the eastern theater of the American Civil War, while sustaining the proud tradition of citizen-soldiery.
One is immediately impressed with the great deal of research and analysis this work exudes. By the Blood of Our Alumni is exhaustively researched and fully documented. This work contains thirty relevant photographs, two well-executed maps, full index, and eight data- and statistics-laden appendices substantiating Poirier's theses. One appendix offers a comparative analysis of casualties and cross-referenced listing of alumni. Indeed, reading and studying this book offers an educational insight into honest and up-front research techniques.
Poirier's detailed account of Norwich University?s role in the Civil War has successfully validated the prophetic pronouncement of an anonymous cadet in 1863 that "every field of battle during the present war has been moistened by the blood of our alumni." (p. 281.)

A definitive one-volume (although a hefty one) history of Venice from the earliest Roman settlements up to the beginning of 19th century, when Napoleon bullied the once-glorious but now timid republic into submission. Norwich has done a very thorough research and then settled down to write everything worthwhile about his subject - not just wars and Mediterranean politics but also architechture, government and everyday Venetian life.

Norwich has selected a simple chronological structure which is both the book's strength and one weakness. As Venice's history has it's ups and downs, so does the book. Every so often, usually when Venice in one way or the other fights for it's survival, the book takes life and reader is swept from page to another - until the next slump of 20 years or so when there simply isn't much happening. Although Norwich usually skips these periods with shortness they deserve, the reader's interest is bound to rise and fall with every few dozen pages. But then again, can you really blame history for not following the laws of dramatic structure.

Norwich writes in the same fluid narrative style that made his three books of Byzantine history my all-time favourites. This time the subject matter just isn't quite so fascinating. As centuries pass, the doge's come and go, and only few of them have enough personality to make them memorable. Their enemies and allies - popes, sultans, dukes, kings etc. - often steal the limelight instead of the merchant state which stays pretty much the same.

Nevertheless, this book has probably everything you might possibly want to know about Venetian history, including short notes about historical buildings, memorials and tombs that can still be found in modern Venice.

Often, this book reads like a novel. There are the inevitable slow patches because the history of Venice, with periods of feverish action and decades of lassitude. Nevertheless, Mr. Norwich keeps the action moving along and presents the history of Venice in all its glory and vainglory. While Mr. Norwich clearly loves his subject, he does not permit his feelings to prejudice a fair and evenhanded treatment of the rise and fall of the Venetian Republic. I highly recommend this book to lovers of history and Italy.

Quick, name one famous leader or military hero associated with the thousand-year history of the Republic of Venice. (Sorry: writers and painters don't count.) Now imagine that you are writing a 600+ page history of Venice. How do you make it a page-turner without recourse to biography? Can it be done?

It seems that John Julius Norwich has done it, and with flying colors. I had originally planned to read the history in small driblets, a chapter at a time to keep my interest from flagging. I was delighted to find that my interest was engaged from the very first and remained so until Napoleon Bonaparte demonstrated to the world during his Italian campaign that the Republic could be had. Before the young emperor-to-be doused the lights, Venice had had a glorious run.

Here was a country that began as a naval and mercantile power. Turning its back on the Italian mainland, Venice looked to the east. Its merchants spread out through the Eastern Mediterranean and as far as the Black Sea -- and sometimes, as in the case of Marco Polo -- much farther. While mainland Italy was mired in an endless struggle between the Guelphs and the Ghibellines, Venice strived to live at peace with its neighbors. For several hundred years, it even lived at peace with the Turk -- to the extent of scuttling a Crusade or two when it felt its interests were better served elsewhere. Only when the resurgent Ottomans under Mehmet II and his descendants became an effective sea power in the 15th century did Venice have to look across its moat to the Italian mainland.

When the Turk cut off its colonies in the East, Venice engaged in a brief career of conquest in Northern Italy with mixed results. Much more successful was its strength at diplomacy, for which it became famous. Curiously, reading this book puts the confusing history of Italy as a whole into sharper perspective if only because seen from a stable point of view. While the papacy and the city states were pulled apart or compacted like silly putty, based on the personalities and issues du jour, Venice stood serenely above the fray. What it lost on the battlefield, it won by sharp dealing. It seemed invincible ... until Napoleon entered the scene.

Norwich shows us all the pomp and pageantry, the masks and mummery, the octogenarian Doges and the Councils of 10, the Zontas, and all the intricate paraphernalia of Venetian governance. Instead of palling, the book could have gone on for another 600 pages before I ceased to be mesmerized. This is a great book, and Norwich is a great historian.

From my short time with "A Short History of Byzantium", I can only guess that the original 3 volume work is a brilliant one. Lord Norwich has an excellent grasp of the history of the era. He manages to connect one event to the next as if it were a well written movie. At times the large scale editing and cutting that it must have taken to condense a work of this magnitude is evident in its dizzying pace and sometimes stifled narrative. to What makes the book compelling however, is Norwich's description of characters. He writes about emperors, generals, and rebels as if he were standing in the crowd when they were crowned, thwarted, or killed. A new 'main character'is introduced every few pages and Norwich manages to draw the reader into each one. A 1200 year empire deserves the attention of any student of history, and John Julius Norwich has written a landmark contribution to the subject.

I read Dr. John Fine's two-volume "History of the Balkans" and then became engrossed with Colleen McCollough's fictional works on the Roman Republic/Empire. Recognizing my interests, my friend Russell the reference librarian recommended J.J. Norwich.

The Roman Empire lasted a good deal longer than most people think. It continued another 1,000 years after the Emperor relocated from Rome to Constantinople. The western part of Europe was "at odds" with this Eastern entity for a number of centuries. (Christian theological differences are old). These ancient "attitudes" have been reflected in the various stances nations have taken recently toward Serbia (Orthodox Christian).

This book is a distillation of the long, prosperous, and at times harrowing history of the Orthodox Christians of the Roman Empire. These people did not call themselves "Byzantines" or "Byzantium" but rather thought of themselves as Romans, albeit very Greek Romans (spoke and wrote in Greek).

The Roman Empire did not end until the 1400's when the (Turks-Ottomans-Muslims) captured Constantinople. To their credit, the Muslim invaders did not destroy all the books and historical documents left behind --why we know something today of the entire history of the Roman Empire.

Norwich writes extremely well, and although this history is not easy to follow, if you're interested in the topic, this is a good place to begin.

This is a very fast-paced and enjoyable history from Norwich, cramming a gigantic amount of history into a rather short book. Here Norwich has condensed his masterwork, a 1200-page trilogy on the Byzantine Empire, into a single volume for maximum impact. The intricate details, references, and notes are left to the trilogy - so this book, while short on evidence and details, is full of action and intrigue. For various reasons the Byzantine Empire has been unappreciated by Western scholars, being condemned to obscurity in favor of the less cultured and shorter-lived Roman Empire. In fact the Byzantine Empire survived for another thousand years after the Romans fell to a bunch of scraggly barbarians, keeping the classic culture of Rome and Greece alive while Europe languished uselessly in the dark ages. In addition to his competent research and sharply enjoyable writing, Norwich performs a real service in bringing to light the religious and cultural accomplishments of the Byzantines. He also has a real eye for the empire's never-ending political intrigues and skullduggery (an example is their love of gouging out their opponents' eyes). Due to this book's focus on the action, it can get confusing at times. Short-lived emperors, and a few empresses, often zoom on by without making much of an impression, while intricate political shenanigans with Europe (especially in the later days of the Empire) are hard to follow. Another problem is the Byzantines' habit of giving everyone the same names, as about a gazillion Constantines, Johns, Michaels, and even Andronicuses blur together in confusion. The lack of detail and clarification in some parts of this book may be frustrating, or may make you yearn to read the much larger trilogy. In either case this breakneck tour of Byzantium is a fascinating read.

This is the opinion of someone who is neither an architect or art historian, but an amateur who got interested after traveling around and seeing some of the world's great architecture. Also, I have the 1975 version of the book - some improvements may have been made in the most recent edition.

The strength of the book is that it attempts to survey the entire world from ancient to modern times in one, not too intimidating volume. China, Japan, Indian, Islamic, and Pre-Columbian architecture are given short chapters, although the bulk of the book is dedicated to tracing Western architecture from ancient times to shortly after World War II. It is nice to have something fairly comprehensive on the shelf as a reference.

The broad scope of the book is a weakness as well. Over a dozen authors contributed various chapters. The result is spotty, as some authors are clearly better at introducing a general audience to their field than others who seem to forget that they are not at a research conference surrounded by experts. Some parts of the text do a good job at summarizing the technical accomplishments and aesthetic concerns of a period while others are just a litany of names and places (many without corresponding visuals) that is meaningless to the average reader. The large number of authors makes the book incoherent as well as there is no theme or story that carries from one part to another. This makes it much more suited for leisurely poking through sections at random than for reading from start to finish.

Finally, there are a number of technical issues that could have been handled better. While it is true that there are tons of pictures, cutaways, and diagrams, many are too small or of mediocre quality. In other places, the text refers to a compass direction, but north is not labeled on the corresponding diagram. That's fine for medieval churches if you know that the apse is (almost) always in the east, but who knows offhand which way Persepolis is oriented? You can usually figure it out, but this and other issues are frustrating.

In summary, don't buy this book if you want a coherent history to read. If you need just one volume to serve as an occasional reference, however, this one might be ok. Still, I would look around a bit more first.

You will not find a more comprehensive book in print on Architecture History. It covers more regions and time periods than any other book I've seen. To get this amount of information on architecture history through another source you would need to buy two or three other books. This book has 4 times the number of drawings, photographs, and graphics of any other architecture history book. It is also well written in a concise yet understandable manner. Not only is this book the best quality and most complete book of its kind, it is also by far the least expensive.

As a licensed architect, I'm often asked to talk to children or teenagers who are vaguely interested in architecture. (Well, not that often, but it has happened.) I've been recommending this book for years. It has lots of full-color cutaway drawings. Let me put it this way, if you don't stare fascinated at these drawings, you probably won't be drawn to architecture. My copy of the book is hardcover, printed in 1975, but it's politically correct--Chinese and Hindu architecture is not neglected as in other Western-focused books. You won't find any post-modernism here, however, because I don't think the paperback has been updated (but I might be wrong)