Giles Morgan

Giles Morgan's Byzantium is a good primer for the often glossed over history of Byzantine Empire. This is a quick read, and at less than 150 pages, it is not much more than a speed read of over a 1,000 years of complex history. If you are looking for an in-depth study of the era or the empire, you will not find it here.

That being said, this book is a great place to lay the foundation, or brush up on, the history of the continuation of the Roman Empire. A good place to start, but if you are already familiar with the basics of Byzantium, you can skip this one.… (mer)

Author Giles Morgan examines the Holy Grail from a religious point of point as well as from the many legends that surround it. Included in this concise account are its origins and its link to Christ. Also included are the ways the Grail figured in literature, art, music, and ancient organizations, such as the Templar Knights. The magnitude of the Grail has spawned several legends and inspired the imagination of modern writers and movie producers. The author also gives a brief history of the time period of the Grail as well as discussing briefly other ancient artifacts, such as the Shroud of Turin. Though short in pages, this book is long on information, written precisely and without personal opinions.… (mer)

Disappointing; picked up on the spur of the moment in the Ashmolean Museum shop. It is a history of Anglo-Saxon England, but based almost entirely on documentary sources – Gildas, Bede, Nennius, and the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle – and very little on the archaeological record. The existence of people like Arthur, Vortigern, Hengist, and Horsa is taken for granted. This is a history of rulers, not of people. There are no illustrations, which is forgivable, and no maps, which is less so (since the text discusses places like Wessex and East Anglia and Northumbria, which are probably a mystery to readers not from the UK). To be fair, the book is intended to be a short introduced, and is probably adequate for that.… (mer)

This book looks far more into the legend and theological interpretation of the famous St George than the actual life of this historical figure. The author very early on makes clear that any detailed knowledge of the saint's life is patchy at best. Instead we are given a worthwhile examination into how numerous cultures, nations and religious groups have taken the principle of St George's 'triumph of good over evil' and used it to influence and empower their people and followers - for better or worse in some cases.… (mer)