by Darren Oldridge (Author)
Strange Histories presents a serious account of some of the most extraordinary occurrences of European and North American history and explains how they made sense to people living at the time.
Using case studies from the Middle Ages and the early modern period, this book provides fascinating insights into the world-view of a vanished age and shows how such occurences fitted in quite naturally with the common sense of the time. Explanations of these phenomena, riveting and ultimately rational, encourage further reflection on what shapes our beliefs today.
What made reasonable, educated men and women behave in ways that seem utterly nonsensical to us today? This question and many more are answered in this fascinating book.
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 216
Edition: 1
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 23 Sep 2004
ISBN 10: 0415288606
ISBN 13: 9780415288606
'In his lively and slightly ironic account, Darren Oldridge ... finds nothing unreasonable in prosecuting horses, witches and wolfmen ... Strange Histories is more than an entertaining catalog of oddities.' - Shepherd Express: Milwaukee
'A well-researched book, full of snippets of old text, diaries and manuscripts, there is much here for the scholar.' - Fate
'An entertaining book.' - The Medieval Review
'a fascinating book... [which offers] excellent, up-to-date summaries drawn from the recent scholarly literature. - Central European History