 | |
| Author | William Manchester |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Subject | History 1 |
| Publisher | Little, Brown and Company; A Back Bay Book (paperback) |
Publication date | 1992; 1993 Paperback |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (Hardback, Paperback) |
| Pages | 322 (Paperback) |
| ISBN | 0-316-54531-7 (1st edition)=ISBN 0-316-54556-2 (pb) |
| OCLC | 243729651 |
| 940.2/1 20 | |
| LC Class | CB369 .M36 1992 |
A World Lit Only by Fire: The Medieval Mind and the Renaissance: Portrait of an Age is an informal history of the European Middle Ages by American historian William Manchester. Published in 1992, the book is divided into three sections: "The Medieval Mind", "The Shattering", and "One Man Alone". In the book, Manchester scathingly posits, as the title suggests, that the Middle Ages were ten centuries of technological stagnation, short-sightedness, bloodshed, feudalism, and an oppressive Church wedged between the golden ages of the Roman Empire and the Renaissance.