Historiography
Medieval People
In Medieval People: Vivid Lives in a Distant Landscape, historian Michael Prestwich [author of Knight: The Medieval Warrior’s (Unofficial) Manual] challenges generalities about the Middle Ages* by looking at the specific: biographies of 69 people who lived between 800 and 1500, a period that stretches from Charlemagne’s empire to the early Renaissance. Prestwich’s choice of…
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Curiosity’s Cats
Research is a big part of my writing work day. In fact, I read far more words than I write in my constant search for a topic, a story,* and/or a telling detail. I have special glasses for the hours I spend on the computer, and eye drops that I generally forget to use. (Excuse…
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In which I consider the nature of historical periods–and moving
Despite good intentions, and a couple of creative efforts,* I succumbed to radio silence here in the Margins while My Own True Love and I moved four whole blocks. The construction isn’t quite done, but we’re half-way settled into the new house. (Okay, maybe a quarter of the way. Between us we have a lot…
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