A World Lit Only by Fire: The Medieval Mind and the Renaissance - Portrait of an Age

Book summary: Life during the Middle Ages was animalistic and wretched. Life during the Renaissance was unbearably miserable. Life during the Reformation Era was unspeakably horrid. There is no God. Now that the summary is out of the way, I generally enjoyed the book. I like Manchester’s writing style, though he tends to be rather stream-of-consciousness at times. I was hoping for a more linear and balanced description the Medieval Period versus the Renaissance that would help distinguish life and thought between the two eras. However, that was clearly not the author’s purpose. In A World Lit Only By Fire, William Manchester’s object seemingly is to describe how the resilient mindset of the approximately 1,000 year-long medieval period slowed, and often blocked, the new ideas and progress being proposed and attempted during the Renaissance. Ploughing through this book, I occasionally felt like I was reading a nihilistic existentialist philosophy textbook. This was particularly true at the end, which really would benefit from a stronger summary and conclusion (sorry, that’s the college teacher in me coming out). Again, in the author’s favor, a tremendous amount of research and synthesis went into this book, and Manchester does a great job of keeping it mostly accessible to readers. He does present some surprising ideas that I wish were accompanied by a historical anecdote or footnote. For example, he makes the statement early in the book that, “If war took a man even a short distance from a nameless hamlet, the chances of his returning to it were slight; he could not identify it, and finding his way back alone was virtually impossible” (pages 21-22). So, this idea that anyone who left his own village would never be able to find his way back home---is it based on actual historical accounts, or does Manchester simply infer it and present the hypothetical scenario as fact? It’s impossible to tell. There are occasional gems, such as a quote from Erasmus, “My home is where I have my library” (page 120). Another gem that I appreciate is the author’s own statement that “History is not a random sequence of unrelated events. Everything affects, and is affected by, everything else. This is never clear in the present. Only time can sort out events. It is then, in perspective, that patterns emerge” (page 228). Manchester also includes much about people such as Martin Luther, whom he despises; Pope Leo X, whom he pities; Lucrecia Borgia (Pope Alexander VI’s daughter and bed-partner) whom he defends; Erasmus, whom he respects; and Magellan, whom he idolizes (despite the mental delusions which led to his horrible death). A few of the other famous great artists and thinkers of the Renaissance are mentioned in passing, but they are mostly ignored. I wish he had written more about the Medieval Era; other than a very few Roman Catholic personalities, there is no attempt whatsoever to identify contributions of influential thinkers, artists, musicians, poets, or theologians of the Middle Ages. Recommended.

This book stirs up a great deal of controversy, especially its analysis of the Papacy and Lutheranism. Some facts in this text are uncontroversial while others can and often are interpreted differently. However, this book presents a light scholarly approach that is easy to read and certainly provides the reader with a picture of the territory discussed. The most fascinating aspect discussed is the ferocity that many groups defended the ignorance that guarded their power. Heretics were burnt at the stake not because they were considered wrong but because they were a danger to the powers that were (be). This book will open your mind if it is read as a hypothesis of the impact of the control of information and the impact that has on the powerful and the powerless. Also, it is indisputable that written language, dissemination of knowledge, and the rising merchant class (and thus non-state controlled wealth) were the downfall of the dark ages. If Leonardo had been born 2 centuries earlier, his ideas and thoughts would have been lost among the illiteracy of the age. Gutenberg's invention freed humanity from the oppressing darkness of ignorance and now, as the world becomes more complicated, so many are reaching for the easy solution of ignorance and fundamentalism. Seeing the world as it is can be frightening, but to blindly follow those who wield power only results in the tyranny of the majority. So truly, did Mr. Manchester write this text as a true historical work of medieval history and the birth of intelligence or as an allegory for today's world?

This is quite a work of art. Bringing a fascinating and fundemental period in Western Civilization to "light". Many people are fascinated by History and its causes, yet those same eager minds are clueless to the motivations and events that shaped our World during the 1000 years, after the fall of Rome to the why the Renaissance even happened. This book answers questions I never really knew...Protestantism, Inquisition, Bad Popes, Humanism, Visogoth, Henry VIII, Erasmus, Huns...its all here. The desire for knowlege on the subject is there, the problem is the dirth of vibrant materials and that exist seem to be an esoteric and mundane examination of specific events or Characters...the type of writing that is better left to the researcher or the student who is forced to read. Manchester is an awesome storyteller who combines a tremendous knowledge of his subject with a wit and insight that makes for a fantastic read. It is very hard if not impossible to put this book down. To know that the facts are right on, the characters were very real, and the events are the foundation of who and what we are as nations, families, congregations and people is just the biggest buzz you can get from reading. It opens your mind up and creates a desire to know more and a sense of satisfaction that you now have a grasp of knowlege that before you read this was just a cloudy picture. I have urged everyone I know to read this book, it is like having a brillant friend telling you a tale by the campfire. Just a WOW read. The negative reviews in here have been emotionally motivated. The facts in this book are well researched. The critics I have read here are mostly abolisionistic, book burners, and religious zealots who do not like anything that does not support there causes without question. Luther was not "God Like", John Calvin was an egomanical Theofacist, The Popes were not "All Saintly" and Christian motivation for slaughter and torture of there fellow man in the name of Jesus was not a fiction made up by the devil to discredit God. Allow yourself to enjoy and learn.

I read a lot of history, but not much on the Medieval-Renaissance period. I'm sure many of these critical reviews have a point. For an expert it would be annoying to have some facts oversimplified or misrepresented. But that is inevitable for a little book by someone who admits he is not a scholar of the times. I was mesmerized from beginning to end. Manchester transports the reader to an era (lit only by fire) that is almost incomprehensible to our take-it-for-granted society. Yes, we get interesting sketches of the monarchs, popes, artists and explorers, but the real treat is simply learning what life was like in those days. He spends considerable space discussing the "shattering" of the Catholic clergy's corrupt hold on all aspects of European life. Erasmus, Martin Luther and other humanists finally broke through in the 16th Century, challenging, among many other contradictions between theory and practice, the church's sale of indulgences--the absolution of past, present and future sin for the payment of money. But Manchester's account of Magellan's astounding circumnavigation is alone worth the price of admission. Do you know the derivation of the first person who went around the world (hint: he's not European)? For those of you unfamilar with William Manchester, this book was essentially written on his death bed as a break from his arduous work on the final volume of his Churchill trilogy, which unfortunately remained unfinished at his death. He is the greatest narrative historian I have read. Although his politics (liberal) are different from mine (conservative), his writings are rarely biased in that sense. He is controversal in his historical judgments, but backs it up with facts and reason. But above all his writing at its best is simply beautiful to behold. I also highly recommend American Caesar, The Glory and the Dream, Visions of Glory and Alone.

There are scholarly works of history, well written, researched, accurate, and boring. Then there are works, that are perhaps not as accurate, not as exact, but that show you how things actually were, and the influences and connections that shaped history. This is not one of the former, but definitely it is one of the latter. There are inaccuracies. Knight might have originally meant a minor landed noble in old Anglo Saxon, but the Spanish, French and Italian terms (Caballero, Chevalier, and Cavalieri) mean just horseman. There are also a couple of proofreading errors, but they are obvious. Now for the good part. The book tells a story. It tells the story of a continent that is seeped in darkness, and of its slow ascent into light. Of how the light of reason takes over where the oscurantism of revelation used to rule. How the revolution of reason permitted the reform movements of Luther and Calvin; and how those reform movements, commited the same atrocities that the original church had and was guilty of. No punches are pulled, and no confession is respected. This book may not allow you to pass a medieval history final, but after reading it, you will know and understand, not only what was going on in Europe's darkest age, but why and how. What was gained and lost as the Renaissance dawned on the horizon; and also, there are interesting inferences that can be drawn, appropriate for modern times, on other areas of the world, where revelation rather than reason, alas, still holds sway. I read it in two days, and highly recommend it to the amateur historian, or to anyone who would like to know what it felt like to live in the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries.

This isn't quite a tabloid, and it isn't quite a history book. Mr. Manchester is writing this book for the "masses". It's true, it's kind of an "old fashioned" look at the Middle Ages, BUT, my bet is the truth is somewhere between today's revisionists and Mr. Manchester. I find it sort of odd that no one mentioned the seemingly endless pages on Luther, especially when the book is over half finished before you finally get to the Renaissance and Magellan's "biography." Evidently some of the reviewers didn't read Manchester's statements on bibliography, or they would have known he did take a lot of his information from Will Durant....speaking of old information and old ideas of the Middle ages.. I found this book to be pretty enjoyable reading. If you take into account that the average reading level of the "average" American is somewhere btween the 4th and 6th grade level, you realize it's hard to get people to read anything at all. It's nice that people can read some semblance of history in an enjoyable narrative rather than nothing at all. Most people won't read the more "sophisticated" and "scholarly" works of history at all, so at least their getting something at their level.

Good book! I enjoyed it and loved the first part of the book. It changes my view of how the Renaissance happened. The second part on Magellan as the greatest explorer I would disagree with that title. I think Manchester went a little too long on his biography of Magellan. Warning: Manchester does use many interesting words and a use of a dictionary is recommended.

I have read many of the "Classics" in history and I would rate this in the top ten of overviews of the period. An incredible eye-opener and highly worth your time. I'd comment more but not being good at 'book reports', I'll just leave it as a 'must read'. Lastly, most of the history books I read were either required reading for a course or simply personal interest. This is the only one that I almost couldn't put down. I would highly recommend "Magellan" by Tim Joyner also. It was one of the sources used by Manchester. Another excellent book. Update: After reading many (and I wasted some serious brain time reading some of the scathing critiques here) I get the distinct impression that many of highly qualified medieval historians here thought they could sit down and read a book of only several hundred pages and get a complete, in-depth brain infusion on every facet of the Middle Ages. Historians have written hundreds of thousands of pages on just single events that Manchester briefly addresses...what did you expect? This book is an excellent overview of the time period stressing just what the title implies, a world lit only by fire, because that's what it was: a world lit only by fire. Trying to read and critique this book assuming that it was supposed to address every little tiny aspect of the time period is, well, ignorant at best, haughty and condescending at worst. If you didn't like it, OK, fine. But trashing the author because you're so much smarter and more knowledgeable than him, well, please list YOUR published works. The book is an overview of the period. Treat it as such. If there are a couple of historical inaccuracies, Manchester didn't have the internet like the modern day Wikipedia historians who critique his works here. I'm not making excuses for any errors he has, just pointing out that maybe that was the known information at the time. Btw, I just read it again. It's still excellent.

My brother loves it

Best book about Magellan,take half of book descript the back ground,and all the truth happen inthe history Thanks

Good read

Listened to Tom Hanks name this as his Book to take to Desert Island- only he didn't have this when Castaway . A great recomendaation and so glad I have this book to keep and treasure

I started this book but it has been really slow-going. I find that the author jumps around too much bringing up events as anecdotes to bring out a point, whereas I was hoping that the facts and characters would be presented in more detail to describe the period. Perhaps I was hoping it would be more like historical fiction, whereas it reads more like a college thesis.