Pettit, a specialist in English language and literature before 1525, assumes that readers have at hand and open the first volume, which contains the texts themselves, and so dives into his line-by-line commentary without introduction or explanation. He refers to the texts by entry number rather than page. His 70-page bibliography of works cited and principal works consulted does not duplicate the list of Abbreviations and Signs (Volume One). He does not provide an index. The text is double spaced. The sewn binding and cloth cover are high quality. c. Book News Inc.

Pettit, a specialist in English language and literature before 1525, assumes that readers have at hand and open the first volume, which contains the texts themselves, and so dives into his line-by-line commentary without introduction or explanation. He refers to the texts by entry number rather than page. His 70-page bibliography of works cited and principal works consulted does not duplicate the list of Abbreviations and Signs (Volume One). He does not provide an index. The text is double spaced. The sewn binding and cloth cover are high quality. c. Book News Inc.

"This study looks at a wide range of medieval Englisih romance texts, including the works of Chaucer and Malory, from a broad cultural perspective, to show that while they employ magic in order to create exotic, escapist worlds, they are also grounded in a sense of possibility, and reflect a complex web of inherited and current ideas." --Book Jacket.

Fresh examinations of the role of medicinal plants in medieval thought and practice and how they contributed to broader ideas concerning the body, religion and identity. The important and ever-shifting role of medicinal plants in medieval science, art, culture, and thought, both in the Latin Western medical tradition and in Byzantine and medieval Arabic medicine, is the focus of this new collection. Following a general introduction and a background chapter on Late Antique and medieval theories of wellness and therapy, in-depth essays treat such wide-ranging topics as medicine and astrology, charms and magical remedies, herbal glossaries, illuminated medical manuscripts, women's reproductive medicine, dietary cooking, gardens in social and political context, and recreated medieval gardens. They make a significant contribution to our understanding ofthe place of medicinal plants in medieval thought and practice, and thus lead to a greater appreciation of how medieval theories and therapies from diverse places developed in continuously evolving and cross-pollinating strands, and, in turn, how they contributed to broader ideas concerning the body, religion, identity, and the human relationship with the natural world. Contributors: MARIA AMALIA D'ARONCO, PETER DENDLE, EXPIRACION GARCIA SANCHEZ, PETER MURRAY JONES, GEORGE R. KEISER, DEIRDRE LARKIN, MARIJANE OSBORN, PHILIP G. RUSCHE, TERENCE SCULLY, ALAIN TOUWAIDE, LINDA EHRSAM VOIGTS