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  • A World Lit Only by Fire

  • The Medieval Mind and the Renaissance: Portrait of an Age
  • Written by: William Manchester
  • Narrated by: Barrett Whitener
  • Length: 11 hrs and 36 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (27 ratings)

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A World Lit Only by Fire cover art

A World Lit Only by Fire

Written by: William Manchester
Narrated by: Barrett Whitener
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Publisher's Summary

From tales of chivalrous knights to the barbarity of trial by ordeal, no era has been a greater source of awe, horror, and wonder than the Middle Ages. In handsomely crafted prose and with the grace and authority of his extraordinary gift for narrative history, William Manchester leads us from a civilization tottering on the brink of collapse to the grandeur of its rebirth, the Renaissance. The latter was a dense explosion of energy that spawned some of history's greatest poets, philosophers, and painters, as well as some of its most spectacular villains.
©1979, 1980 William Manchester (P)2007 Blackstone Audio Inc.
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History
World Medieval Europe
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What the critics say

"An absorbing and readable history." (School Library Journal)
"Manchester provides easy access to a fascinating age when our modern mentality was just being born." (Chicago Tribune)
"Manchester has not forgotten the skills that, with invective, eloquence, and anecdote, make him a master storyteller."(Kirkus Reviews)

What listeners say about A World Lit Only by Fire

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Profile Image for Laverdm

Absolutely fantastic

What a wonderful book! This was an amazing book, full of amazing stories and details that made it a joy to listen! I liked it so much that I am going to buy the paper version to have it handy.

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  • C
  • 2023-01-20

Terrific overall

Some need for better pronunciation… here and there. A great overview of a fascinating and tempestuous time!

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Profile Image for Anonymous User

Engaging but a bit dated

Great, engaging but getting a bit dated. Audio quality fluctuated in a few places, but was reasonably consistent for most of the book. Would certainly reread.

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Profile Image for yyzgwm

Absolute genius

the most thorough, comprehensive, entertaining, enthralling, challenging, clever, and enlightening survey of a thousand years that you could imagine. Brilliant.

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Profile Image for Stephen

Wish they matched Material to Narration.

I really really wanted to listen to this. I couldn't. The narrator is probably meant for Reacher style novels. Some people make history live. This isn't a case of that.

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