Reference Collection - HIS 221: The Reformation - Spring 2021 - LibGuides at Gustavus Adolphus College

A picture of three shelves of reference books on medieval topics. — Three shelves of books on the Medieval period in the Reference Collection under section D (History)

Some New Books

New Books in the General Collection

Gutenberg by Stephen Füssel; Peter Lewis (Translator)
Call Number: New Title Shelf Z126.Z7 F8713 2019
ISBN: 9781912208678
Publication Date: 2020-01-19
"Charting Gutenberg's life from his youth in Mainz to his final years and lasting legacy, Stephan Füssel - one of Europe's leading experts on Gutenberg - brings together authoritative scholarship and historical detail to illuminate the life of this fascinating figure. This short biography contains everything you need to know about the man who changed the printed word, and the world, forever." - back cover
The Habsburgs : to rule the world by Martyn Rady
Call Number: DB36.3.H3 R335 2020
ISBN: 9781541644502
Publication Date: 2020-08-25
"From modest origins as minor German nobles, the Habsburgs family used fabricated documents, invented genealogies, savvy marriages, and military conquest on their improbable ascent, becoming the continent's most powerful dynasty. By the mid-fifteenth century, the Habsburgs gained controlled of the Holy Roman Empire, and by the early sixteenth century, their lands stretched across the continent and far beyond it. But in 1918, at the end of the Great War, the final remnant of their empire was gone. Martyn Rady tells the epic story of the Habsburg dynasty and the world it built-- and then lost-- over nearly a millennium, placing it in its European and global contexts." -- adapted from jacket
Edward the Confessor : last of the royal blood by Tom Licence
Call Number: New Title Shelf DA154.8 .L53 2020
ISBN: 9780300211542
Publication Date: 2020-09-29
"One of the last kings of Anglo-Saxon England, Edward the Confessor regained the throne for the House of Wessex and is the only English monarch to have been canonized. Often cast as a reluctant ruler, easily manipulated by his in-laws, he has been blamed for causing the invasion of 1066—the last successful conquest of England by a foreign power." - Publisher description

Street Life in Renaissance Italy by Fabrizio Nevola

Call Number: New Title Shelf HT145.I8 N48 2020

ISBN: 9780300175431

Publication Date: 2020-11-24

"The cities of Renaissance Italy comprised a network of forces shaping both the urban landscape and those who inhabited it. In this illuminating study, those complex relations are laid bare and explored through the lens of contemporary urban theory, providing new insights into the various urban centers of Italy's transition toward modernity. The book underscores how the design and structure of public space during this transformative period were intended to exercise a certain measure of authority over its citizens, citing the impact of architecture and street layout on everyday social practices. The ensuing chapters demonstrate how the character of public space became increasingly determined by the habits of its residents, for whom the streets served as the backdrop of their daily activities. Highlighting major hubs such as Rome, Florence, and Bologna, as well as other lesser-known settings, 'Street Life in Renaissance Italy' offers a new look at this remarkable era." - Publisher description

Coming Soon

African Europeans : an untold history by Olivette Otele
Call Number: On Order
ISBN: 9781787381919
Publication Date: 2020
"Africans and African Europeans are widely believed to be only a recent presence in Europe, a feature of our 'modern' society. But as early as the third century, St Maurice - an Egyptian - became the leader of a legendary Roman legion. Ever since, there have been richly varied encounters between those defined as 'Africans' and those called 'Europeans', right up to the stories of present-day migrants to European cities. Though at times a privileged group that facilitated exchanges between continents, African Europeans have also had to navigate the hardships of slavery, colonialism and their legacies. Olivette Otele uncovers the long history of Europeans of African descent, tracing an old and diverse African heritage in Europe through the lives of individuals both ordinary and extraordinary." - Publisher description

Some Recommended Reference Works

Renaissance / Reformation

Women in Early Modern Europe

Medieval and Renaissance Art

Medieval Art : a topical dictionary by Leslie Ross
Call Number: Reference N7850 .R67 1996
ISBN: 9780313293290
Publication Date: 1996-11-14
"Designed as a quick-reference source to the topics, symbols, themes, and stories most frequently found in early Christian, western medieval, and Byzantine art, this work describes topics that include names and narratives drawn from the Bible and apocrypha, the lives of saints, and numerous other textual sources. Authors whose works were frequently illustrated or who were influential on the visual arts are treated, as are selected art historical terms and events of significance for the arts. Cross-references alert readers to alternate titles and related topics, and the majority of entries cite a pictorial example. These are keyed to standard texts for easy viewing access. The dictionary begins with Aaron and ends with Zoomorphic Decoration."

"This dictionary focuses on the medieval period and the distinctive ways in which the subjects and symbols referenced in the work evolved and developed during the Middle Ages, resulting in a unique overview of the evolution, development, popularity, and transformations that took place in medieval artistic iconography. The introduction provides chronological, thematic, and bibliographic surveys to supplement the 500 individual entries; the bibliography directs the readers to more detailed studies. The work also includes names and topics not always found in art reference sources, for example, authors whose works were frequently illustrated, or who were influential on the visual arts, and historical events of significance for the arts." - Publisher description
Dictionary of Subjects and Symbols in Art by James Hall
Call Number: N7560 .H34 2008
ISBN: 9780813343938
Publication Date: 2014-03-01
This book relates in a succinct and readable way the themes, sacred and secular, on which the repertoire of Western art is based. Here in a single volume are combined religious, classical, and historical themes, the figures of moral allegory, and characters from romantic poetry that established themselves through paintings and sculpture in Western art before and after the Renaissance. More than just a dictionary, this text places these subjects in their narrative, historical, or mythological context and uses extensive cross-referencing to enhance and clarify the meanings of these themes for the reader. The definitive work by which others are compared, this volume has become an indispensable handbook for students and general art appreciators alike. This wholly redesigned second edition includes a new insert of images chosen by the author, as well as a new preface and index to highlight the ideas, beliefs, and social and religious customs that form the background of much of this subject matter. -- Publisher's description.