The Reading Warehouse

The preeminent popular history of civilization's rebirth after the Dark Ages

From tales of chivalrous knights to the barbarity of trial by ordeal, no era has been a greater source of awe, horror, and wonder than the Middle Ages. In handsomely crafted prose and with the grace and authority of his extraordinary gift for narrative history, William Manchester leads us from a civilization tottering on the brink of collapse to the grandeur of its rebirth, the Renaissance, a dense explosion of energy that spawned some of history's greatest poets, philosophers, and painters, as well as some of its most spectacular villains.

One of the most volatile periods of western history witnessed the passing of the Dark Ages and the dawning of the Renaissance, illuminated by magnificent scientific and artistic achievements and spectacular leaps of thought and imagination. Manchester's narrative weaves together extraordinary figures, varied elements, and accomplishments of the period.

William Manchester (1922-2004) was an award-winning American author, biographer, historian, and a professor emeritus of history at Wesleyan University. Among his many New York Times bestselling books are A World Lit Only by Fire; The Glory and the Dream; American Caesar; Goodbye, Darkness; and The Last Lion, a multivolume biography of Winston Churchill. He was also a recipient of the National Humanities Medal and the Abraham Lincoln Literary Award.

Barrett Whitener has been narrating audiobooks since 1992. His recordings have won several awards, including the prestigious Audie Award and numerous Earphones Awards. AudioFile magazine has named him one of the Best Voices of the Century.