From tales of chivalrous knights to the barbarity of trial by ordeal, no era has been a greater source of awe, horror, and wonder than the Middle Ages. In handsomely crafted prose and with the grace and authority of his extraordinary gift for narrative history, William Manchester leads us from a civilization tottering on the brink of collapse to the grandeur of its rebirth, the Renaissance, a dense explosion of energy that spawned some of history's...

The great scholar Heironymus believes that he knows everything there is to know, until a hair which he cannot identify is carried to him on the the wind and he must search the globe to find its source.

"The foundations of modern knowledge--philosophy, math, astronomy, geography--were laid by the Greeks, whose ideas were written on scrolls and stored in libraries across the Mediterranean and beyond. But as the vast Roman Empire disintegrated, so did appreciation of these precious texts. Christianity cast a shadow over so-called pagan thought, books were burned, and the library of Alexandria, the greatest repository of classical knowledge, was destroyed....

From the moment we are born, we reach out. We reach out for our loved ones, for new knowledge and experiences, and for our dreams! Whether celebrating life's joyous milestones, sharing words of encouragement, or observing the wonder of the world around us, this uplifting book will inspire readers of every age. A celebration of love and shared discovery, this book will encourage readers to reach for the stars!

"This book teases out hitherto unrecognized Eastern aspects in and influences on C. S. Lewis' Narnia Chronicles. These include storylines, plots, themes, imagery and even cities and landscapes in the East, as well as the 'Persian' style of illustrations by Pauline Baynes. Although never having ventured East himself, Lewis wrote that 'I am the product of endless books,' and in recognizing Eastern references-many only subconsciously intended by Lewis-it...