Non-Fiction

National Geographic writers and photographers take you along the storied streets of eternal Rome. You cruise the canals of Venice. You watch Leonardo paint the "Mona Lisa" and you leaf through the prophetic pages of his notebooks.

The gentlemen of medieval and Renaissance Europe had three all-consuming passions: warfare, courtly love, and hunting with a hawk or hound--and the philosophy behind the last of the trio really encompasses them all. Hunting, the sport of kings, served as training for battle, a rite of manhood, and a powerful ritualistic pastime. In vivid and engrossing detail, here are all the appropriate methods for hunting deer, boar, wolves, foxes, bears, otters, birds, hares...even unicorns! A dazzling diversity of sources (poems, ballads, letters, court directives, royal accounts, gamekeepers' handbooks, psalters) illustrate how hunting and hawking appear throughout medieval art and literature as metaphors and motifs for everything from romance to combat.

Synopsis: Many people, including trained church professionals, find Julian of Norwich very difficult to read. Translations in modern English don't even seem to help. It's hard to get past her medieval Catholicims to her radically inclusive ideas - to the insights that made Julian a spiritual giant. The Essence of Julian is the most accessible and lively translation of this difficult medieval masterpiece yet available. It is simply much easier to read and understand than any previous treatment of Julian's writings enthusiast will be satisfied for many years to come. About the Author: Dr. Ralph Milton is one of Canada's best-known religious communicators, and a recipient of an Honorary Doctorate of Sacred Letters from St. Stephen's College, Edmonton. He also has an Honorary Doctorate of Divinity from the Vancouver School of Theology. A former news broadcaster, open line host and church administrator, Milton is the author of 17 books including the bestselling Family Story Bible; Angels in Red Suspenders; and Julian's Cell, a novel based on the life of Julian of Norwich. On the Internet, Ralph Milton publishes the popular e-zine Rumors, which uses liberal doses of humour and story to communicate a lively faith. Co-founder of Wood Lake Publishing, Ralph Milton lives in Kelowna, British Columbia, with his wife and friend of 50 years, Beverley, a retired church minister. Together, they remain the ever-proud grandparents of Zoe and Jake.

Good overview of the Gothic style with many illustrations and pictures of art and architecture.

The samurai prepared themselves for battle through physical practice, and the study of the arts. These ancient stories that inspired warriors so long ago have special significance for todays teens who face battles of their own: battles against bullies; battles with self-doubt and lack of confidence; and battles with the injustices they see around them. Burt Konzak has taught martial arts for over 20 years and has used these stories, drawn from sources including the Hagakuri, the Book of Five Rings, and other Japanese classics, to help young people gain emotional and mental strength. Whether or not readers are interested in the martial arts, they will find centuries of wisdom in this fine collection.

This is a history of the church from the accession of Gregory the Great to the Reformation, written by a distinguished medieval historian.

The history of the thousand years between the fall of Rome and the Renaissance--the rise of kings and emperors, the flowering of knighthood, the development of Europe, the power of the church, and the beginning of the middle class.

For over a hundred years England repeatedly invaded France on the pretext that her kings had a right to the French throne. France was a large, unwieldy kingdom, England was small and poor, but for the most part she dominated the war, sacking towns and castles and winning battles - including such glorious victories as Crecy, Poitiers and Agincourt, but then the English run of success began to fail, and in four short years she lost Normandy and finally her last stronghold in Guyenne. The protagonists of the Hundred Year War are among the most colourful in European history: for the English, Edward III, the Black Prince and Henry V, later immortalized by Shakespeare; for the French, the splendid but inept John II, who died a prisoner in London, Charles V, who very nearly overcame England and the enigmatic Charles VII, who did at last drive the English out. Desmond Seward's account traces the changes that led to France's final victory and brings to life all the intrigue and colour of the last chivalric combats as they gave way to a more brutal modern warfare.