The Light Ages, Seb Falk
The Light Ages, Seb Falk
4 Rating(s)
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The Light Ages
The Surprising Story of Medieval Science

Author: Seb Falk

Narrator: Seb Falk

Unabridged: 11 hr 3 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 11/24/2020

Includes: Bonus Material Bonus Material Included


Synopsis

An illuminating guide to the scientific and technological achievements of the Middle Ages through the life of a crusading astronomer-monk.

Soaring Gothic cathedrals, violent crusades, the Black Death: these are the dramatic forces that shaped the medieval era. But the so-called Dark Ages also gave us the first universities, eyeglasses, and mechanical clocks. As medieval thinkers sought to understand the world around them, from the passing of the seasons to the stars in the sky, they came to develop a vibrant scientific culture.

In The Light Ages, Cambridge science historian Seb Falk takes us on a tour of medieval science through the eyes of one fourteenth-century monk, John of Westwyk. Born in a rural manor, educated in England's grandest monastery, and then exiled to a clifftop priory, Westwyk was an intrepid crusader, inventor, and astrologer. From multiplying Roman numerals to navigating by the stars, curing disease, and telling time with an ancient astrolabe, we learn emerging science alongside Westwyk and travel with him through the length and breadth of England and beyond its shores. On our way, we encounter a remarkable cast of characters: the clock-building English abbot with leprosy, the French craftsman-turned-spy, and the Persian polymath who founded the world’s most advanced observatory.

About Seb Falk

Seb Falk is a historian, broadcaster, and lecturer at the University of Cambridge, where he teaches medieval history and the history of science. His research is focused on scientific instruments of the Middle Ages, specializing in the history of astronomy, navigation, and mathematics. In 2016, Falk was named one of the BBC's New Generation Thinkers. He lives in Cambridge, England.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Bradley on January 05, 2021

The Light Ages. As opposed to the Dark Ages. Indeed. If I had to compare this to other History of Science nonfiction books, I'd have to rate this rather high. Of course, it debunks the basic idea that there was barely any science in the middle ages, that most people were ignorant savages, etc, but th......more

Goodreads review by Tim on December 03, 2020

It's always a pleasure when a book you've been waiting for since its publication was announced turns out to be every bit as good as you expected. And it's a double pleasure when a book on a subject you thought you knew quite a bit about teaches you something new on almost every page. After about 30......more

Goodreads review by Nigel on February 23, 2023

In brief - I found this fascinating at times and rather too technical at other times. Full review nearer the time of publication This book seeks to address the idea that the Middle Ages were not dark times. The author, a Cambridge science historian, opens the book with a discussion on this subject. W......more

Goodreads review by 8stitches 9lives on September 23, 2020

Soaring Gothic cathedrals, violent crusades, the Black Death: these are the dramatic forces that shaped the medieval era. But the so-called Dark Ages also gave us the first universities, eyeglasses, and mechanical clocks. As medieval thinkers sought to understand the world around them, from the pass......more

Goodreads review by Brian on January 07, 2021

In this chunky title, Seb Falk sets out to prove very effectively that, certainly from the scientific viewpoint, the suggestion that medieval Europe spent a period of time in the 'dark ages' is misrepresentation. Historians, of course, dumped the 'dark ages' title some time ago, but it still lingers......more