"An indispensable point of departure for anyone interested in the cult of the saints in the Middle Ages." —Eamon Duffy, The New York Review of BooksFrom its earliest centuries, one of the most notable features of Christianity has been the veneration of the saints—the holy dead. This ambitious history tells the fascinating story of the cult of the saints from its origins in the second-century days of the Christian martyrs to the Protestant...

Lonely Planet's Best Bike Rides Canada reveals 35 incredible two-wheeled escapes – with maps – so you can experience even more of this extraordinary country.Get ready for an unforgettable bike ride across Canada and discover exhilarating cycling adventures that range from a couple of hours to a full day. Admire wild and rugged beaches wit...

One of the central challenges to contemporary political philosophy is the apparent impossibility of arriving at any commonly agreed upon "truths." As Nietzsche observed in his Will to Power, the currents of relativism that have come to characterize modern thought can be said to have been born with ancient sophistry. If we seek to understand the strengths and weaknesses of contemporary radical relativism, we must therefore look first to the sophists of antiquity—the most famous and...

Lonely Planet's local travel experts reveal all you need to know to plan the trip of a lifetime in this latest edition of our guide to Central America.Discover Central America's most popular experiences and best kept secrets from gazing into the magma-churning Volcán Masaya in Nicaragua; to swimming through near-transparent Caribbean waters around the teensy island of Caye Caukler in Belize; and people-watching in the Parque Central of Granada before strolling its ...

To what extent does our knowledge of the past rely upon written sources? And what happens when these sources are destroyed? Focusing on the manuscripts of the Middle Ages, History in Flames explores cases in which large volumes of written material were destroyed during a single day. This destruction didn't occur by accident of fire or flood but by human forces such as arson, shelling and bombing. This book examines the political and military events that preceded the moment of destruction, ...

Throughout medieval Europe, for hundreds of years, monarchy was the way that politics worked in most countries. This meant power was in the hands of a family - a dynasty; that politics was family politics; and political life was shaped by the births, marriages and deaths of the ruling family. How did the dynastic system cope with female rule, or pretenders to the throne? How did dynasties use names, the numbering of rulers and the visual display of heraldry to express their identity? And w...

"If you really want to learn the basic principles of practical alchemy, Frater Albertus' Alchemist's Handbook is literally is worth its weight in gold."—from the foreword by Israel Regardie, author of The Golden Dawn: The Original Account of the Teachings, Rites, and Ceremonies of the Hermetic OrderThe Alchemist's Handbook has long been considered a modern-day classic on the actual practice of alchemy since its first publication in 1960. The book still stands as a groundbreaking work prese...

Seven hundred years ago, executioners led a Welsh rebel named William Cragh to a wintry hill to be hanged. They placed a noose around his neck, dropped him from the gallows, and later pronounced him dead. But was he dead? While no less than nine eyewitnesses attested to his demise, Cragh later proved to be very much alive, his resurrection attributed to the saintly entreaties of the defunct Bishop Thomas de Cantilupe.The Hanged Man tells the story of this putative miracle-...

A "singularly accurate, readable, and elegant translation [of] this much-neglected foundational text of political philosophy" (Peter Ahrensdorf, Davidson College).For more than two thousand years, Aristotle's "Art of Rhetoric" has shaped thought on the theory and practice of persuasive speech. In three sections, Aristotle defines three kinds of rhetoric (deliberative, judicial, and epideictic); discusses three rhetorical modes of persuasion; and d...

This lively and far-reaching account of the politics, religion, and culture of England in the century and a half after the Norman Conquest provides a vivid picture of everyday existence, and increases our understanding of all aspects of medieval society. This was a period in which the ruling dynasty and military aristocracy were deeply enmeshed with the politics and culture of France. Professor Bartlett describes their conflicts, and their preoccupations - the sense of honour, the role of ...

Each year, thousands of people visit Bob Bartlett’s boyhood home located in Brigus, Newfoundland and Labrador, to catch a glimpse of this famous sealing captain’s amazing life. Hawthorne Cottage has been designated a National Historic Site. The Log of Bob Bartlett captures details and experiences that are not widely known about his forty years of adventures. His log details his two most historic feats—his journey with Robert Peary to reach the North Pole and his heroic deed aboard the Karl...

Trapped in the frozen Arctic. A ship crushed by ice. A crew fighting to survive against impossible odds.The Last Voyage of the Karluk is a gripping true story of survival, leadership, and human endurance in one of the harshest environments on Earth. When the Karluk becomes locked in Arctic ice during the Canadian Arctic Expedition, what begins as an ambitious scientific mission quickly turns into a desperate struggle for survival.This audiobook immerses you in the ...