It would come as no surprise that I love second hand bookstores. Knowing that everything is a bargain can be a liberating sensation. (They are especially great places to buy those big, expensive art books for the humanist on your holiday shopping list.) Half-Price Books is a favorite haunt. We are now starting to see used book stores crop up in airports, now that the process of flying incorporates a fair amount of downtime. If you happen to be passing through Raleigh-Durham Airport, check out 2nd Edition Book Sellers.
I’m still in the early stages of the Cruisereader mega-project to support European River Cruises. It’s a mega-project because the story of any little hamlet in Europe, from Brest to Bucharest, is connected to the stories of every other hamlet in Europe. So, when browsing in used book stores, I might surface with titles no one else would consider. There usually isn’t a crowd in the Medieval History section.
My latest find was A World Lit Only by Fire, a bestseller by William Manchester, published in 1993. The book is a bit of a romp through the cataclysmic transitions that catapulted Catholic Europe from its dismally dark ages into the fractured religious squabbles of the Renaissance and beyond. Manchester does a great job of making it seem like day-to-day reporting. It’s amazing how much detailed information remains about the events, correspondence, and controversies that enveloped the times. The biggest political and religious leaders were some of the worst rogues and role models. The most sanctimonious of the commentators turned out to be the most brutal and intolerant in this era of radical thought and deed. The Europe that is forged from these fires of faith remained pretty much at war for the next five hundred years, right down to WWII.
Turns out the book is a bit controversial. Some critics still claim it glosses over facts and makes unjustified, sweeping generalities. Such is the essence of history. The definition of “fact” is a pretty slippery one. I recommend you start here and then move on to other titles. Cruisereader.com is on the case and will have a few more suggestions for you shortly.
Bon Voyage!
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