The Book Catalog
WORLD HISTORY
The Middle Ages

The Lantern Bearers

Rosemary Sutcliff
Farrar Strauss; Paperback; 40 pp.

Set on the eve of the fall of Rome in which the Roman legions have been recalled from Londononuim (London), Aquila, a young officer, decides that his loyalties lie with Britain and not Rome. He keeps the light of culture burning both literally and figuratively and eventually joins the forces of the Roman-British leader Ambrosius to fight against the Saxon hordes.

King Arthur and His Knights

Jim Weiss
Great Hall Productions; Audio CD

Jim Weiss tells a series of stories about King Arthur's court, through the voice of Sir Bedivere, the last of the Knights of the Round Table. In a circle of firelight, Sir Bedivere relates how Arthur became king, how the Knights of the Round Table were started, and how Sir Percival joined the Knights.

King Arthur: Tales from the Round Table

Andrew Lang
Dover Paperback; 174 pp.

The best-loved legends of the Round Table, recounted by Andrew Lang, one of the world's great storytellers. This is a facsimile of the edition prepared by Lang in the early 1900s. It eloquently tells how young Arthur pulled the sword from the stone to become king, how he acquired the sword Excalibur, the beginnings of the Round Table, the passing of Merlin, how Morgan Le Fay tried to kill Arthur, the quest for the Holy Grail, the romance of Lancelot and Guinevere, and the passing of King Arthur.

Beowulf the Warrior

Ian Serraillier, translator
Bethlehem Books; Paperback; 48 pp.

Beowulf the Warrior is an outstanding modern version of the oldest epic in the English language. Ian Serraillier has retold in verse the story of the hero Beowulf and his three memorable exploits--first, his rescuing of Hrothgar the Dane from the ravages of monstrous Grendel; next, his victory over Grendel's strange and horrible mother; and finally, in Beowulf's old age, his saving of his own people, the Geats, from the horrors of a dragon at the cost of his life. Beowulf's heroism and noble heart communicate to any modern listener.

Beorn the Proud

Madeleine Polland
Bethlehem Books; Paperback; 185 pp.

Beorn, a pagan Viking from Denmark, becomes a better ruler as a result of the influence of Ness, a Christian girl he took from Ireland as his slave.

When Knights were Bold

Eva March Tappan
Yesterday's Classics; Paperback; 312 pp.

Tappan gives a clear, engaging picture of life in castles and manors, monasteries and towns during the Middle Ages. Chapters include nearly every topic related to an introductory study of the time: Page, Squire, and Knight; The Knight's Arms and Armor; Jousts and Tournaments; How to Capture a Castle; Daily Life in a Castle; Life on a Manor; Pilgrimages and Crusades; Military Orders, Monks, and Monasteries; Hermits, Friars, and Missionaries; and others.

Son of Charlemagne

Barbara Willard
Bethlehem Books; Paperback; 183 pp.

The year is A.D. 781. King Charles of the Franks is crossing the Alps with his family and court on a journey to meet with Pope Hadrian. One frosty night he speaks to his young son Carl: ""When we come to Rome you will know that I am naming you my heir. One day you will rule over all my lands...." But the King already had an heir, Pepin the Hunchback, mockingly called Gobbo. Was he to be dispossessed? Yet Carl sees that Charlemagne is determined to do what he feels is best to serve God and Europe. This many-faceted story will stir the minds and imaginations of young people. Through Carl's eyes we discover the grand dimensions of Western Europe's foundation.

Stories from the Crusades

Janet harvey Kelman
Yesterday's Classics; Paperback; 76 pp.

The Crusades spring to life through stories of its most famous participants: Peter the Hermit, with the Pope's blessing, gathers men to his side and leads the first crusade, King Richard the Lionhearted of England, King Philip of France, and the Emperor Frederick of Germany. Throughout the narrative, we meet all sorts of men. Some, like Bohemond and Baldwin, fight for selfish ends; others, such as Tancred and Louis, do battle like the great knights they are; while a few, Francis of Assisi among them, carry goodwill wherever they go.

Stories of Robin Hood Told to the Children

H.E. Marshall
Yesterday's Classics; Paperback; 103 pp.

Stories of Robin HoodTold to Children chronicles the times in which Robin Hood lived. How and why he came to live in the Green Wood, and the adventures he had there with Little John, Maid Marian, and the Sheriff of Nottingham. Selections from the original ballads are woven into the story. An enchanting introduction to the “good outlaw” .

God's Troubadour: The story of St. Francis of Assisi

Sophia Jewett
Yesterday's Classics; Paperback; 91 pp.

Hear the story of how the courtly young soldier became a knight of Jesus Christ, vowed devotion to Lady Poverty and proved himself the "little brother" to all men and even to the birds and beasts. The son of a wealthy merchant, Francis of Assisi kept company in his youth with a lawless band of young nobles who were bent on having a good time and thought nothing of the comfort of other people. After an encounter with God, he began his ministry to the outcasts of society: the lepers, the poor, the hungry.

Marco Polo for Kids: His marvelous journey to China

Janice Herbert
Chicago Review Press; Paperback; 130 pp.

A strong narrative drawn from Marco Polo’s own account of his journey. This well-researched book also includes twenty-one activities that highlight the diverse cultures Marco Polo encountered on his journey from Venice to China along the 13th-century Silk Road.

Gabriel and the Hour Book

Evaleen Stein
Yesterday's Classice; Paperback; 109 pp.

The story of the making of an "hour book" as a wedding gift from King Louis of France to Lady Anne of Brittany and the good results it brought to little Gabriel, Brother Stephen's color grinder. Inspired by a bunch of violets and cuckoo-buds Gabriel brings into the workroom, Brother Stephen conceives a new idea for an illuminated border. Instead of the conventional way, he would decorate the book with borders of gold and with realistic looking meadow wildflowers, bees, butterflies, and small birds.

The Door in the Wall: A story of Medieval London

Marguerite de Angeli
Laurel Leaf; Paperback; 121 pp.

Best Books for Children, 5th ed. Newbery Medal winner, 1950. Left crippled from an illness, Robin proves his courage in plague-ridden fourteenth century London by finding the “door in the wall”, this door leads him to more than one answer to his difficulties.  A moving tale of the restoration of a young life set in medieval times.

The Hidden Treasure of Glaston

Eleanore M. Jewett
Bethlehem Books; Paperback; 352 pp.

A Newberry Honor Book. Amidst great mystery, Hugh is left in the care of Glastonbury Abbey by his father who must flee to England too swiftly to be burdened by a crippled son. Ashamed of his physical weakness, yet possessed of a stout heart, Hugh finds that life at the abbey is surprisingly full in this year 1171, in the turbulent days of King Henry II.

Castle

David Macaulay
Houghton Mifflin; Paperback; 80 pp.

Best Books for Children, 6th ed. Macaulay demonstrates his incomparable ability to help us see in detailed line drawings, the history is of a thirteenth-century Welsh castle.

Cathedral: The story of its construction

David Macaulay
Houghton Mifflin; Paperback; 80 pp.

Best Books for Junior High Readers. Using finely detailed line drawings, Macaulay describes the construction of a Gothic cathedral in the imaginary French town of Chutreaux during the thirteenth century.

Joan of Arc: Warrior saint

From the remote village where she grew up to the bloody battlefields at Orleans and Paris, follow this remarkable young woman on a patriotic quest that would end with her death at the stake and the rise of the first nation state.

Matilda Bone

Karen Cushman
Yearling; Paperback; 167 pp.

Orphaned Matilda is not at all pleased when she arrives at Blood and Bone Alley to become an assistant to Red Peg the Bonesetter. She is a religious, well-educated girl who cannot picture herself doing dirty chores or helping sickly patients. This well-crafted tale gives a clear picture of how medicine was practiced in the Middle Ages.

The Beggars' Bible

Louise A. Vernon
Herald Press; Paperback; 136 pp.

John Wycliffe, a famous Oxford professor, was the first to translate the Bible into English. Wycliffe had a radical idea--everyone should be able to read the Bible. But, why was the Bible entrusted to beggars?  This true-life adventure story of one of the heroes of the Christian faith is based on John Wycliffe's own writings, as well as histories of the times.

Ink On His Fingers: The life of Johannes Gutenberg

Louise A. Vernon
Herald Press; Paperback; 127 pp.

A twelve-year-old apprentice to Gutenberg becomes involved in a type-stealing mystery while helping Gutenberg to print the Bible.