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A Distant Mirror

The Calamitous Fourteenth Century

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About this listen

A “marvelous history”* of medieval Europe, from the bubonic plague and the Papal Schism to the Hundred Years’ War, by the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Guns of August

*Lawrence Wright, author of The End of October, in The Wall Street Journal

The fourteenth century reflects two contradictory images: on the one hand, a glittering time of crusades and castles, cathedrals and chivalry, and the exquisitely decorated Books of Hours; and on the other, a time of ferocity and spiritual agony, a world of chaos and the plague.

Barbara Tuchman reveals both the great rhythms of history and the grain and texture of domestic life as it was lived. Here are the guilty passions, loyalties and treacheries, political assassinations, sea battles and sieges, corruption in high places and a yearning for reform, satire and humor, sorcery and demonology, and lust and sadism on the stage. Here are proud cardinals, beggars, feminists, university scholars, grocers, bankers, mercenaries, mystics, lawyers and tax collectors, and, dominating all, the knight in his valor and “furious follies,” a “terrible worm in an iron cocoon.”

©1978 Barbara W. Tuchman (P)2005 Blackstone Audiobooks Europe Medieval Western Europe World Middle Ages Witty Siege Comedy Royalty War England Crusade Renaissance

Critic reviews

"Beautifully written, careful, and thorough in its scholarship....What Ms. Tuchman does superbly is to tell how it was....No one has ever done this better." ( New York Review of Books)
"Barbara Tuchman at the top of her powers....A beautiful, extraordinary book....She has done nothing finer." ( Wall Street Journal)
All stars
Most relevant
Fascinating, with wonderful illuminating detail. I enjoyed it immensely.

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Incredible details & very well researched & a very good insight, It's quite a ride & definitely worth it

Can't recommend highly enough. Brilliant

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A very detailed account of the 14th century, centering partly on the life of one particular French nobleman, but taking in all the surrounding miseries, exactions and military adventures of the times. Certainly makes you glad you didn't happen to live in that century unless you were one of the entitled elite. Really vividly written and phenomenally researched.

extensive and detailed

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A accessible and well read book into a fascinating period of history. Highly recommended to anyone with an interest or new to the subject.

A very deep and informative book

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An interesting, engagingly written book on a fascinating period history. At over 28rs long it’s good value for your credit too.

The narrator has an easy to listen to accent and natural speaking cadence. Strangely, she correctly pronounces some often mispronounced words, especially French place names like ‘Rheims’, but completely mispronounces quite common ones (‘jousts’ pronounced ‘jhoosts’, ‘clerks’ as spelled, ‘Schism’ as ‘Sisum’, ‘non’ as ‘nun’) which come up with jarring frequency. She talks with UK English Received Pronunciation but pronounces many words like ‘Dynasty’, ‘Lieutenant’ and ‘process’ as if a US American. She pronounces dates as ‘November two’ rather than ‘the second of November’. Perhaps this seems minor, but by hour 20 it gets quite annoying. Despite this, overall an enjoyable listen.

A lot of history for your credit

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