A World Lit Only by Fire

Aug 04, 2007 Sarah Fisher rated it 1 of 5 stars

I didn't finish this book. As I basically study the middle ages, all the information was not new or its credibility was highly questionable. Seriously, this guy HATES the middle ages and this book is a one sided rant on how completely dumb and primitive the people were before the Rennaissance saved everyone.

One such random fact that the author gets stuck on is that silverware wasn't introduced until the end of the 16th (maybe 15th...errr) century. Gasp! How can they be so uncivilized??? Using th...more

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Oct 01, 2011 Jessica rated it 2 of 5 stars

I would be lying to you if I didn't admit that I was bitter about this book before I read the first chapter. I made the mistake of reading the preface where Mr. Manchester explained that he wrote this book as a break from writing the final volume to my favorite Winston Churchill biography. He died before he could finish the final volume so his brilliant biography ends in 1945...that's right, at the height of World War II. Useless, but still brilliant.

I think this book lacks on several fronts: no...more

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Oct 17, 2007 Valerie rated it 1 of 5 stars

Inconsistencies and half truths make for an interesting narrative, but not a good history.

This book attempts to cover a lot of ground. However, several things in the book made me suspicious of the reliability of the information. For instance, Manchester references the events of the Pied Piper, depicting him as an actual historical character and the murderer of 130 children.

I found this intriguing and went online to learn more -- I found a "Straight Dope" column that refuted Manchester's specula...more

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Aug 13, 2007 Jack rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: people who think the 21st century sucks.

This is a great book to have on your shelf for those times when an iPhone isn't available and you need to find out what Henry the Navigator was like. Or when tou think it sucks that you don't have an iPhone, you can look into this book and see why you don't have it all that bad. Things really sucked when the world was LIT ONLY BY FIRE

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Sep 03, 2011 Sara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, history

Franny has to read this book for AP European history. I got bogged down in it for a while and there are definitely little things about it that really annoy me: (1) There is an epigraph in German with no translation (or attribution). I asked Uwe to translate it, and I have no idea why it was chosen as an epigraph for the book. (2) At this point in my life, I hardly ever encounter words I don't know, but there were two in this book. "Lentitudinous" from context and etymology obviously means "slow....more

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Apr 23, 2013 Edwin B rated it 4 of 5 stars

When the Roman empire fell in 5th century AD, Western Europe plunged into the Dark Ages. For a thousand years, barbarian invasions, despotic kings, mercenary knights, corrupt popes, unreasoning Church dogma, intolerance, brute force, superstition, greed, strife and violence ruled the land.

It was from this millenium of darkness that humanism emerged, and against this backdrop of backwardness that the Renaissance shone. In the 15th century, Western Europe rediscovered the Greek classics. The use o...more

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Nov 29, 2008 Jack rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: History Buffs, Renaissance Faire Patrons and those interested in the history of The Church

Recommended to Jack by: Saw it in Borders at BWI Airport. Manchester is a favorite auth

This is an excellent book on the rise of Christian Europe from the Dark Ages to Medieval times and the Renaissance.

Manchester pulls no punches and leaves no stone unturned when it comes to the corruption of the Papal church, its policies of granting indulgences for a price and how the common people of Europe were actually "Christianized."

He then delves into the Reformation and how it went from a simple religious protest for change back to piety to the fanatical revolution leading to the inquisi...more

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Mar 05, 2013 Clif rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a whirlwind overview of the period around 1500 (give or take 100 years) using Magellan's voyage around the world to frame the work. This isn't to say it's a slap-dash work, because Manchester brings in a remarkable amount of detail in so few pages, but it isn't in the same category (nor does it claim to be) as something from Barbara Tuchman or Doris Goodwin.

The author does a job on the Catholic Church, and with relish. He's out to let the reader know just what a benighted time it was, wh...more This is a whirlwind overview of the period around 1500 (give or take 100 years) using Magellan's voyage around the world to frame the work. This isn't to say it's a slap-dash work, because Manchester brings in a remarkable amount of detail in so few pages, but it isn't in the same category (nor does it claim to be) as something from Barbara Tuchman or Doris Goodwin.

The author does a job on the Catholic Church, and with relish. He's out to let the reader know just what a benighted time it was, where ignorance allowed all manner of superstition and fear free reign. Of course the powerful exploited their position, as they still do, but the vast majority of European mankind was out of the picture, living in tiny towns or squalid larger towns that passed for cities, keeping tight hold on all of the religious mythology he had been taught in fear of the devil and disease.

We're shown how the debauchery of the Italian popes was accompanied by their support of the arts and artists that produced what we now consider masterpieces. The glorious cathedrals of Europe had (by 1500) long been built and it was no idle belief that there would be an afterlife in either heaven or hell; religion was wound deeply into the minds of all.

The coming of the Reformation, which is the meat of the book, gives an excellent account of the life and personality of Martin Luther, a man of the Holy Roman Empire calling out the hypocrisy of the Roman church, only to bring forth a kind of religious dictatorship that reacted to license with an anti-human proscription of desire in any form. We are also filled in on the amorous life of Henry VIII and the Italian political world of Machiavelli.

A quick read, I ended the book thinking, as probably most readers will, that I sure am glad I wasn't around in those days. It was a terrible fall from the glory of Rome into an intellectual pause of a thousand years, relieved by the Renaissance, but at the same time succeeded by terrible religious wars and the bloody rise of nationalism that we are only now escaping (I say with my fingers crossed).

Oh - one minor annoyance was the use of Spanish when it wasn't called for. Usually, an author will use a foreign phrase because it conveys something that is difficult to express in English, then the best English attempt will follow. In this book, Manchester reverses this in two ways - first by putting something he has just said in English into Spanish within parentheses, and second, the translation is always mundane. I'm wearing a hat (llevo sombrero) he said. The word for this is gratuitous.(less)

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Feb 28, 2013 Tony rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: history

A WORLD LIT ONLY BY FIRE: The Medieval Mind and the Renaissance. Portrait of an Age. (1993). William Manchester. *****.
I’ve been a big fan of Manchester’s books over the years, but I don’t know how I missed this one. It is a popular telling of the history of Europe primarily during the time of the Renaissance, but starts us out at the first sack of Rome in 410 A.D. to the second sack of Rome in 1527 – the end of the Renaissance. This is not a history of Renaissance art, which you might expect,...more

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Nov 28, 2012 Vibina Venugopal rated it 4 of 5 stars

I came across a list of Best Unappreciated Books in goodreads that really got me curious, One of the books in the list was A world lit by fire..William Manchester its author is a controversial author in his own right who is often labelled as a storyteller than getting his facts right, before plunging into this master piece, I didnt have to find twice... This book is a wonderful window to European Medieval age and Renaissance.. From page one I was deep into the historical chronicle..From the decl...more I came across a list of Best Unappreciated Books in goodreads that really got me curious, One of the books in the list was A world lit by fire..William Manchester its author is a controversial author in his own right who is often labelled as a storyteller than getting his facts right, before plunging into this master piece, I didnt have to find twice... This book is a wonderful window to European Medieval age and Renaissance.. From page one I was deep into the historical chronicle..From the decline of Roman empire to Inquisition every dry topics are presented in such a delightful way that you get engrossed completely into it...The book is divided into three parts, The Medieval mind,Shattering, One man alone..The first is my very favorite which explores the psychological aspect of thought processing and the behavior, and the way of life, religion that has various categories of superstition and spirituality that got mixed in between, confusing and misleading people.

"The ethnic code then settled in its conquered lands and darkness descended upon the devastated, unstable continent.. It would not until forty medieval generation had suffered, wrought their pathetic destinies and passed on .(p-5)
"Dark Age" that saw extreme level of fear in the mind of people, who thought twice before traveling across countries ..The society was adulterated by dark magic polluting thoughts and actions... Robbers, crooks ruled, normal life was disrupted more than often.....

Reading through Shattering is all about the darker side of Catholic Church , reading is like browsing through the pages of a fictional suspense thriller involving, sex (oh yes sex), treachery, murder, horror, betrayal everything a Church preaches against..Though there were expected ways of events, yet some of them were real scandalous...There are shocking information of pope's take over and their succession the circumstances that led to Protestant reformation till the time of Martin Luther King...Do not miss Erasmus through the curiosity to read further.. The final part is One Man Alone, about Ferdinand Magellian, his expedition failures and the idea that was revolutionized is given in an ever entertaining narration....Though he has reserved his personal opinion upon most of the events, there are few instances where his cynicism comes across evidently...Though this book went onto become the New york bestseller, professional historians have shunned this book..You love it or hate it, but you may not really come across a better historical entertainer...(less)

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Oct 13, 2012 Tina Cadwell rated it 4 of 5 stars

A fairly easy to read non-fiction that covers Europe's growth out of medieval times and into the Renaissance.
The book gives some interesting insights into the lives and psyches of the peasants and royalty in order to explain the vastly different mind-set of these people from our individualist, secular, and educated ways of percieving the world around us. Manchester provides the readers with a lens to help us understand how the events that are discussed in the book are understood by the people l...more

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Aug 15, 2012 Christian rated it 5 of 5 stars

If you are looking for a well researched and reasoned history of the Dark Ages and the Renaissance do not read this book. If you are looking for a starting point for the Intellectual History of Europe during the Dark Ages and Renaissance; this book might be a good way to go.

The historical accuracy of this book is to be strongly questioned and doubted. However, I still like this book. The reason I like this book is that it is about ideas. What the author does is take a very one sided argumentativ...more

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Jun 03, 2012 Gordon rated it 1 of 5 stars

William Manchester characterizes the Middle Ages as one of "obsession with strange myths and almost impenetrable mindlessness." In fact, this is a perfect description of the flaws of his book, which is among the worst works of history I have ever read. Full disclosure: I put it down in disgust after page 102 and did not pick it up again.

Still, the book did contain the following favorite howlers, which made it so bad that at times it was almost good:
• Medieval people had no sense of time: "Genera...more William Manchester characterizes the Middle Ages as one of "obsession with strange myths and almost impenetrable mindlessness." In fact, this is a perfect description of the flaws of his book, which is among the worst works of history I have ever read. Full disclosure: I put it down in disgust after page 102 and did not pick it up again.

Still, the book did contain the following favorite howlers, which made it so bad that at times it was almost good:
• Medieval people had no sense of time: "Generations succeeded one another in a meaningless timeless blur." (I wonder how they figured out when to plant their crops or how to show up for church on the right day of the week?)
• In summertime, peasants went about naked. (I don't remember seeing a lot of naked peasants in medieval art. Perhaps the author is thinking about cherubim and seraphim.)
• Prostitutes were the cleanest people in Europe during the Middle Ages, because they had to expose their entire bodies. (It's nice to hear something good about the Middle Ages for a change.)
• Teenage peasant girls were well-behaved on Sundays, but on weekdays "opened their blouses, hiked their skirts and romped the fields in search of phalli." (Apparently this was to avoid the dreaded fate of spinsterhood.)
• The English of both sexes were known even then for their insolence. Their women were so foul-mouthed that Joan of Arc called them the "goddamns". (He's probably thinking of New Yorkers).
• Adultery amongst the nobility was typical and usually took place with the agreement of both spouses. (Very civilized of them, no?)
• The basic cause of the moral loosening of Europe during the early years of the Renaissance was the growth of wealth. During the early sixteenth century, lust seethed throughout Europe. Rome, the capital of Christendom, was the capital of sin. (I believe the author was raised in a stern Protestant New England household in the early part of the last century, although the mindset seems more 19th century than anything else.)
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May 14, 2012 Nosnah rated it 5 of 5 stars

History buffs and religious savaunts and quite frankly really anyone in between, this book is a MUST READ (5 out of 5) stars go to William Manchester to enlightening and freeing my mind from the dark, dingy and simply truth-lacking pages that were originally my basis for history. And for all those questioning the credibility of the facts or dates or happenings outlined throughout this novel, do some of your own research and open your eyes to the truth. Although Manchester writes in detail about...more

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Dec 15, 2011 Richard rated it 4 of 5 stars

My daughter brought this book to my attention about 10 years ago. "WHAT?!? You haven't read this?!? Here!" with a forceful thrust, causing the book to thump into my chest rather painfully. (The bruises have since healed.)

Since that copy, I have given to others eleven more; I seem to be able to keep the book for about six months before someone just *has* to read it and *now*, so out it goes again. Weeks go by, and I fretfully search the used bookeries for another copy; always one shows up, usual...more My daughter brought this book to my attention about 10 years ago. "WHAT?!? You haven't read this?!? Here!" with a forceful thrust, causing the book to thump into my chest rather painfully. (The bruises have since healed.)

Since that copy, I have given to others eleven more; I seem to be able to keep the book for about six months before someone just *has* to read it and *now*, so out it goes again. Weeks go by, and I fretfully search the used bookeries for another copy; always one shows up, usually in very good to unread condition (philistines! Imagine having this book and not reading it!), and spend the buck or so to bring it home *for the last time* as I will keep *this* one forever.

Uh-huh. As we see, that resolve is doomed. I'm sending this one to that soldier who wanted history books. He'll like this one, I bet!

It's a leap of imagination that I feel 21st-century people have small success at making, but the time when the world was lit only by fire didn't end until late in the 19th century. No flipping switches for instant light. No reading lamp that just needs a little flick to provide bright, shadowless (unless you sited it in a funny place) light for as long as you like. No street illumination worth a damn.

A world of shadows. A world of unseen details. A world that gave us fabulous artistic achievements, amazing literary joys, and most of our modern ideas about religion, which I for one could do without.

Manchester makes this world shimmer into focus, bronze-gold candleflame coloring each and every idea, achievement, material object he describes. We really see what he's talking about through their eyes, if we possess even a hint of imagination.

I love this book, and I think everyone in the least bit interested in history should read it because it's beautifully written and conceived. It's a pleasure to pass it on to another initiate. I hope he falls in love the way I did. Please try it. It's worth your time to sink without a ripple into a world long vanished. (less)

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Oct 25, 2011 Loryn rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: history, historical, non-fiction, for-school, renaissance, medieval, makes-you-think

Well, I had to read this for school, so I figured I'd add it. I just read the ending tonight. This one is set up into 3 chunks. I had to write a paper on one, and make a presentation on the other two (one of which I'm about to write out for class tomorrow). I liked it- I did. He made some really interesting points. But I think there was a problem for me connecting all three parts together, and even the pages throughout the parts themselves. Part 1 is a general summary of the medieval-renaissance...more

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Jul 16, 2011 Katie rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: medieval, history

I haven’t read anything else by William Manchester, but he’s a good writer, and I’m sure he’s a smart guy. He’s written several biographies on Churchill, and one on JFK, and a memoir detailing his experiences during World War II in the Pacific. But Manchester is a reporter and a chronicler of modern history, and his rather sudden attempt to catalogue the medieval and early modern era in about three hundred pages is – at best – a very misguided effort that paints a terribly artificial and superfi...more I haven’t read anything else by William Manchester, but he’s a good writer, and I’m sure he’s a smart guy. He’s written several biographies on Churchill, and one on JFK, and a memoir detailing his experiences during World War II in the Pacific. But Manchester is a reporter and a chronicler of modern history, and his rather sudden attempt to catalogue the medieval and early modern era in about three hundred pages is – at best – a very misguided effort that paints a terribly artificial and superficial picture of the Middle Ages. At worst, it’s a willfully ignorant piece of polemic that, despite the title of his book’s first section, makes absolutely no attempt at truly understanding the medieval mind.

The problem boils down to the fact that there wasn’t nearly enough research done by the author to allow him to write a book like this. Apparently, Manchester literally wrote this book as he was researching it, and based it entirely on secondary literature. Instead of spending a few years researching and getting a feel for the era, the complexities and viewpoints and the historically fuzzy spots, he just sat down, picked up some (often outdated) secondary sources and wrote a book as he was reading them.

It would be one thing if Manchester had simply come to his conclusions through genuine scholarship. It’s certainly a conclusion you could make from looking at some medieval primary sources, though I’d argue it’s a superficial one. But Manchester doesn’t bother. And the idea of writing a history book that spans about 1200 years without picking up a primary source is, honestly, kind of reprehensible to me. It’s not that Manchester misinterpreted these people, it’s that he seemed to genuinely not particularly care how they viewed their own world, at least not enough to pick up a book and read a few of their own words. To write a general history book on an era that spanned a millennium and then to harshly condemn that era without reading a primary source written by the people who lived through it is genuinely irresponsible.

Early on, Manchester makes the kind of astounding statement that “in the medieval mind, there was no conception of time.” In microcosm, that represents everything that is wrong with this book. On a superficial level, sure, there’s some truth in the statement – people didn’t keep track of time in the same way that we do today. But the idea that a predominantly agricultural society had no conception of time doesn’t make any kind of logical sense, and from a theological or philosophical standpoint, it’s hugely wrong, and once again serves to show that Manchester seems entirely unaware of the underpinnings of the era. And when you’re writing a history book like this one, that’s exactly what you need to get right.(less)

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Jun 02, 2010 Lwoconnor rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Christian faith tradition that we experience in America today is the historic bi-product of 2 millenia of constant change, effort, failure, and regrouping of the ancestral church of Jesus. It is easy to see the modern expression as contiguous, inviolate, and beyond challenge, but none of these views would be reasonably true.

Manchester, after recapping the 1000 years between the fall of Rome and the Renaissance takes an unapologetic look at the revival, the machinations, and the schisms that...more

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Feb 12, 2011 Dan Russell rated it 4 of 5 stars

If earlier versions of the story of Medieval Europe focused on the church, God, crusades and noble acts by Robin Hood, Richard the Lionheart and various knights, then this is the antithesis to that.

Manchester gives a different portrait—one marked by brutality, violence (often extreme, arbitrary and casual). He tells many tales of the Church as amazingly corrupt and venal -- often in the extreme. The popes were anti-intellectual, bloodsucking, floridly extravagant and licentious… which seems to...more

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Apr 10, 2012 Marfy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: middle-ages, renaissance, italy, byzantium-etc

I'm a newcomer to GoodReads. This is the first book I happen to be reading since signing up. This review is more like book notes, since the field for private notes only allows 100 characters. It is not meant to be a definitive review of this book. Also, I add to it as I read, so it will seem disjointed.
Like all interesting books, I've learned a lot from this; for instance, that the Huns were once the Hsiung-nu. They attacked Russia after being turned away at the Great Wall of China, and easily d...more I'm a newcomer to GoodReads. This is the first book I happen to be reading since signing up. This review is more like book notes, since the field for private notes only allows 100 characters. It is not meant to be a definitive review of this book. Also, I add to it as I read, so it will seem disjointed.
Like all interesting books, I've learned a lot from this; for instance, that the Huns were once the Hsiung-nu. They attacked Russia after being turned away at the Great Wall of China, and easily defeated the once formidable Goths. Manchester describes how truly dark the Dark Ages were, and how the Church replaced the Roman Empire as the social glue. Interesting paradox of religion and violence, but then Christianity was not practiced the way Christ taught it. The popes of the Middle Ages were certainly nothing like the person they were supposed to emulate--St. Peter. All the paradoxes and ironies of "the Medieval Mind" are described here; a good list on pg. 27-28 of men who disrupted that mindset and introduced the Renaissance. But Manchester does not pay enough attention to the scholars of Toledo and the cross-fertilization that took place there, or the power of cultural cross-fertilization in general. The only mention of Aristotle concerns his ideas about the rotundity of the earth, except for a brief mention on pg 25 of "the rediscovery of Aristotelian learning." And only a passing reference to Neo-Platonism (pg. 8). Seems to me that Manchester neglected to read Aristotle's Children. Aristotle's Children: How Christians, Muslims, and Jews Rediscovered Ancient Wisdom and Illuminated the Middle Ages Just checked--Manchester can be forgiven, since his book came out years before Aristotle's Children was published.
There is an excellent description of the trials and travails and odd personal traits of Martin Luther, not an easy person to get along with, and surprised by the upheavals his ideas created. The other character I learned about was Erasmus, who was far more interesting than I had thought.
The title presumably refers to a world where technology and invention were little known, the age before electricity, I suppose. But perhaps he's talking about the ferment of the Renaissance. The introduction does not explain.
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Mar 14, 2012 Christa rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: no one

Recommended to Christa by: several people

Shelves: history

I had been meaning to read this book for a long time. Every time I mentioned reading a book about the Middle Ages, this title seemed to come up, so off to the library I went.

I was very unimpressed. The organization of the book seemed poor almost from the very start. There are no chapter divisions and, seemingly because of this, the author felt free to roam around with little direction. The tone of the entire work is condescending, both to the reader (occasionally), and to the subject matter (al...more I had been meaning to read this book for a long time. Every time I mentioned reading a book about the Middle Ages, this title seemed to come up, so off to the library I went.

I was very unimpressed. The organization of the book seemed poor almost from the very start. There are no chapter divisions and, seemingly because of this, the author felt free to roam around with little direction. The tone of the entire work is condescending, both to the reader (occasionally), and to the subject matter (always, with one or two exceptions). The middle of the book devolves into a sort of Renaissance gossip rag - not a difficult task, perhaps, but it seemed that the author was intent on peppering the book with salacious and maybe even spurious accounts of the sex lives of many of the people he discussed. He seems to revel in ripping away what he seems to perceive as Medieval rose-tinted glasses in doing so. Many of the most scandalous and juicy events he recounts are the subjects of books filled with scholarly debate, yet he pronounces sentence on nearly every prominent figure of the broad span he covers (c.500-1500). (Lucrezia Borgia's fabled sex life, The Pied Piper of Hamlin as a serial killer, the use of the Iron Maiden, to name only a few of his confidently asserted opinions.)

The book looks at all the eras discussed through modern eyes. It does not account for the thinking of the time, the progress of history, nor does it find anything positive to say about anyone save the emerging humanists and Ferdinand Magellan - clearly the idol of the author. At many points I was so angry, I almost didn't finish. The only balanced portrayals he manages are written about various characters in the Reformation, but even these are approached from a clearly anti-religious (not just anti-Catholic) perspective. Even here he rejoices in informing readers of Martin Luther of aspects of Luther's life that he feels are embarrassing to Luther: uses of crude language, changes in stance/inconsistencies, character weaknesses, etc. Magellan is the only person who escapes with almost no criticism, but the amount of praise heaped on him hardly seems justified. Not that I believe that Magellan's accomplishments are small, but hardly worth attributing the culmination of the Renaissance to him... the final dispelling of all the "damage" done by the Middle Ages. "Like [the Magellanic Clouds], his memory shines down upon the world his voyage opened, illuminating it from infinity to eternity." (p290) Really?

The book "illuminates" those of us who are Medieval historians to nothing. We know that people were dirty. We know that people were superstitious, and we know that the Church was corrupt. What then is there left to read about in this book. Not much. This is the most negative review I have ever written about a book and I'm not sorry. (less)

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Dec 10, 2012 Barbara rated it 3 of 5 stars

I liked this book, until I read some of the reviews on this website. The idea that the author could be playing "fast & loose" with the facts really dampened my enthusiasm. So, where I would usually say "I learned a lot", I'm not certain I can say that in this case. I do protest (the author's dead, I know) his use of ridiculously obscure words (many olde english) without explaining them, even foreign phrases. Are we all just supposed to know this? Toward the end of the book I began writing th...more

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Nov 25, 2012 Meghan rated it 2 of 5 stars

The good: It was relatively engaging reading, and, despite the author's habit of drifting apparently aimlessly and plotlessly through the writing, a relatively easy read, as well. There's some interesting biographical information--the parts of the book about Magellan, in particular, were interesting and seemed well done.

The bad: Most everything else. Manchester admits up front that it's not meant to be a scholarly work, and, uh, at least he's honest about that, I guess? I'm no scholar, and even...more

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Jan 10, 2008 brian tanabe rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: history buffs, medieval age fans

Me likes the medieval age! I don't have a head for history (among other things) and this is a rare second reading for me, but I can't get enough of this crap. The middle ages have always fascinated me and Manchester's work reads like a cross between the trivialities of a Bathroom Reader/Schott's Miscellany and the subjectivity of say a Stephen Ambrose. AND, on top of that, there was some SERIOUS debauchery going on during these times ... holy crap.

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Dec 29, 2012 Ariane rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: world-history

I feel guilty for enjoying this book. I'm no expert on the Middle Ages and the early Renaissance but I remember enough from college courses taken a millennia ago to know that this book has problems. Manchester interprets the "Dark" Ages (he prefers "Dark" to "Middle" and certainly doesn't subdivide it into Early, High, and Late) as a long stretch of paralyzed time during which dirty, violent, religious (read: superstitious) people did very little thinking and accomplished even less. Then lo! Ren...more I feel guilty for enjoying this book. I'm no expert on the Middle Ages and the early Renaissance but I remember enough from college courses taken a millennia ago to know that this book has problems. Manchester interprets the "Dark" Ages (he prefers "Dark" to "Middle" and certainly doesn't subdivide it into Early, High, and Late) as a long stretch of paralyzed time during which dirty, violent, religious (read: superstitious) people did very little thinking and accomplished even less. Then lo! Renaissance-y things started happening, and suddenly people started to think! Bam! They accomplished a variety of things that altered Western civilization better than it was ever altered before! Or since! (Although people were still dirty and violent; that didn't change much.) Time was un-paralyzed and progress began. Now, if this interpretation seems awfully simple and suspect that's because it is. Manchester does better than a high school textbook by not suggesting that there is a clear demarcation in time between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, but not by much. He drips scorn and derision on a period of time that is apparently only worth discussing in terms of what it was not (that is, Classical civilization and the Renaissance). This was the interpretation popular during the Victorian period but scholars have come a long way since then. A very odd line to be taken in a history first published in 1992. Hmmm.

So I should hate the thing, right? Should've stopped at the get-go. And to be honest I'm not all that interested in either the Middle Ages or the Renaissance. But...but...damnit, I couldn't put this stupid book down! Manchester is a great storyteller. It was engaging; kept me hanging and even a little bit in suspense; plenty scandalous and horrifying; and wonderfully descriptive. The last chapter, on Magellan's voyage (half-way) around the world, was excellent. I liked how the book ended. As a history geek it felt to me like a cheap thrill. I had fun reading about those "facts" based on hear-say (Lucrezia Borgia's incestuous relationships), or just plain made up (the famous Piped Piper bit), and outdated analysis even while I knew that for the most part it was a bunch of crap.

I feel ashamed giving it three stars. It really only deserves two. I would never recommend to anyone. But even though I don't really like this book...*sigh* I cannot lie, I really enjoyed reading it. Hey, every once in a blue moon a book will do that to you. I'll make sure to hang my head in shame while I'm shelving it in my permanent library.(less)

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Aug 04, 2007 Dave rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is an entertaining book that highlights many of the key events of the thousand years after Rome without much analysis. The lack of detail in the comparatively short section "The Medieval Mind" makes it seem the author is bored with this important period and can't wait to move on. The book is a quick read in a crisp and pleasant style, and may help keep the torch burning on your interest in history.

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Jan 08, 2012 Bob rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: history

I have always loved the writing of William Manchester. But reading this book, I concluded that he was best at biography rather than history per se. His biographies of MacArthur and Churchill are magnificent. And the biographic sections of this book are the best parts, particularly his biography of Magellan and his tracing of Magellan's effort to circumnavigate the world including his own tragic end in the Philippines.

What Manchester seeks to do is to trace the transition from the Middle Ages, ne...more

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Nov 21, 2007 Chris rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: history buffs

certainly not a light read. this was a text i was supposed to read in college, but i just got to it last year. it is exactly what the title says, a portrait of the middle ages progressing into the renaissance. i dont think ive ever learned more from a single book. manchester gets down to the most barbaric details of medieval times, while also capturing more worldly themes. i really enjoyed it!

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Nov 08, 2012 Rob rated it 4 of 5 stars

'A World Lit Only by Fire' is an incredibly fascinating and informative history of times and events leading from the European "Dark Ages" to the Renaissance and the dawn of modern times. It was a bit of a tough read, due to the candid nature with which Manchester dealt with both the brutality and the immorality of the time. However, I think the book does a fantastic job capturing the attitudes and moods of the time. You get a better understanding of what it meant to live in medieval times in the...more 'A World Lit Only by Fire' is an incredibly fascinating and informative history of times and events leading from the European "Dark Ages" to the Renaissance and the dawn of modern times. It was a bit of a tough read, due to the candid nature with which Manchester dealt with both the brutality and the immorality of the time. However, I think the book does a fantastic job capturing the attitudes and moods of the time. You get a better understanding of what it meant to live in medieval times in the different classes in society.

I would have given this book five starts but for the following reasons:

1) There was one or two spots in the book where you're bombarded with so many historical characters, names of places, and minor events that they almost become meaningless. This is a nit-picky criticism. The sections aren't too frequent nor too long and you get through it.

2) Manchester comes across to me as hyper-critical of Religion and seems to infer that believe in God is best left to less illuminated time. God does not care because God does not exist. - Full disclosure, I do believe in God - Manchester seemed to be trying to convince the reader through the entire book that there is no God. The behavior of the clergy and leaders of the prevailing Christian church during this period certainly help is argument.

3) Manchester frequently uses French or Latin idioms and expressions. Sometimes he translates or explains them. More often, it seemed to me, that he did not, so the reader is left to decipher his meaning. He occasionally uses arcane English nouns to describe more common-place things. You sometimes have to work a bit if you want to comprehend his full meaning.

4) Some of the things presented by Manchester seem a little over-the-top. The couple of times I checked other sources there didn't seem to be full agreement on Manchester's version of events. Obviously any historical volume will be tinted by the author's perceptions, agenda, and personal filters so as long as a reader doesn't take everything as pure fact, then I'm not too concerned that the Author wanted to make a couple of things a bit more "sensational" as long as it isn't blatantly false. "Sensational" sells - buyer beware.

There are two religious groups for which this book may hold particular attention. If you are Catholic and are not comfortable with some of the darker events in the history of the Church, you may want to steer clear of this book. If you're a Mormon, on the other hand, you'll find in 'A World Lit Only by Fire' significant out-side support for the Mormon doctrine of the 'Great Apostasy'. Manchester even uses that term in the book and provides a volume of evidence for the original Christian Church going far astray. If you can handle the grittiness of subject matter, as a Mormon you'll probably enjoy this book.

Oh, and have a dictionary close by if you read 'A World Lit Only by Fire'! You'll need it, unless you're really really smart, literate, and educated!(less)

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Oct 18, 2012 Brian rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: exploration, first-time-reading-author, historical-political-or-biography, philosophy-religion, read-in-2012

Brief summary of the fall of the Roman Empire by Visigoths, subsequent fracturing of western world via tribes/kingdoms, lack of knowledge and education. Rise of Christianity’s power in middle ages due to holy roman empire

Not hugely scholarly imho for the first half, and this covers so much ground on a variety of subjects that this almost feels more like a survey of the epoch. It is interesting to see many of the critiques of the book that feel Manchester is either unduly harsh with respect to th...more Brief summary of the fall of the Roman Empire by Visigoths, subsequent fracturing of western world via tribes/kingdoms, lack of knowledge and education. Rise of Christianity’s power in middle ages due to holy roman empire

Not hugely scholarly imho for the first half, and this covers so much ground on a variety of subjects that this almost feels more like a survey of the epoch. It is interesting to see many of the critiques of the book that feel Manchester is either unduly harsh with respect to the depravity, lewdness and general uselessness of the Middle Ages and the Church in particular, and some of the large generalizations he makes interspersed throughout the book.

Brief discussions of early middle ages important moments such as papal split between Rome and Avignon, council of Nicaea, important figures such as Attila, Constantine, Charlemagne, miscellaneous Lateran Councils, and then general stagnation and only Church holding together all of Europe

Ending of era of middle ages with rise of kingdoms of Europe

Corruption and decadence of middle age popes (particulary the Borgias), general awfulness and stagnant middle ages, with disease, lack of betterment of general lives, not much change

Beginning of Renaissance, Manchester seeing key figure of world explorer of Magellan

Renaissance in humanist thought, art, science, development of merchant class, rise of nation states, exploration, implicit and explicit threats to dominance of the Church

Small biographies of key Renaissance figures such as Copernicus, Da Vinci, Thomas More, Erasmus (attacking church through his writings and humanist movement), Henry VIII (split from Catholic Church and creation of Anglican Church with himself as head), Magellan, Luther (long sections of this book recount in great detail Luther’s posting of his 95 theses, his battles with Rome and ultimate founding of the reformation movement in Germany, key moments such as the Diet of Worms, and subsequent Catholic vs. Protestant battles, sacking of Rome, mass killings and tortures by both sides with many caught in the middle)

The long final section on Magellan’s voyage and circumnavigation is fascinating, from the conflicts between the members of his Portuguese and Spanish crews, the attempts by Portugal to stop the expedition, Magellan’s abortive attempt to find the southern pass around South America through the Rio de la Plata, the failed mutiny of several Spanish officers, the final success finding the straight of Magellan through the southern tip of South America, the long passage through the Pacific Ocean (much longer and farther than expected), Magellan’s sad end when he converts natives in Phillipines and surrounding area to Christianity and then perishes in ridiculous, unnecessary attack on natives while being outnumbered, and ultimate return of only one of five ships (and without Magellan) to Spain
(less)

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