The Cambridge Elements series has recently released seven thought-provoking books that delve into different aspects of medieval life, thought, and global connections. Best of all, these titles are currently available to download for free, making cutting-edge research accessible to anyone with a curiosity for the Middle Ages. From the enigmatic legend of Prester John to philosophical frameworks of inclusion, these works highlight the complexity and richness of the medieval era.
The Global Legend of Prester John
By Christopher E. Taylor
The Global Legend of Prester John explores the enduring fascination with Prester John, a mythical Christian priest-king whose legend shaped medieval and early modern thought. Drawing on sources from papal letters to missionary accounts, this book examines how the 12th-century Letter of Prester John influenced military tactics, papal policies, and medieval culture. It highlights the adaptability of the legend, which persisted for six centuries despite its mythical origins.
This book provides a global history of ivory and the elephants behind it, recognising their individuality and dignity. It explores ivory’s cultural significance in the Song Dynasty, including newly translated texts and ceremonial items like ivory staves. It also examines the value of ivory in medieval Spain during King Alfonso X’s reign, featuring artifacts such as the Virxe Abrideira, an ivory statuette owned by Queen Violante of Aragon. The book concludes with a comparative analysis of the Sunjata epic from the Mali Empire, connecting it to 13th-century global ivory markets.
Visions of Hierarchy and Inequality in Early Medieval England
By Stuart Pracy
This book explores the socio-political hierarchy of 10th- and 11th-century England, focusing on the fluid boundary between the ranks of ceorl and thegn. By analysing early medieval texts and modern scholarship, it reveals how these ranks carried significant social weight despite offering few tangible benefits. Through a detailed study of Archbishop Wulfstan II’s writings and other sources, the author highlights the blurred boundaries of ‘middling’ social statuses, offering a compound method for better understanding the construction of status in early medieval England.
Historians’ Autobiographies as Historiographical Inquiry
By Jaume Aurell
This book takes a global perspective on the autobiographies of historians, spanning eras from antiquity to the present. It examines twenty autobiographies, including Caesar’s and Peter IV of Aragon’s medieval accounts, intellectual self-reflections by Gibbon and Adams, and writings by 20th-century women historians like Carolyn Steedman and Gerda Lerner. It also explores classical Chinese and Islamic traditions through Sima Qian and Ibn Khaldun, as well as modernisation narratives from figures like Fukuzawa Yukichi and Taha Hussein. By highlighting postmodern and postcolonial experiences, it emphasises the historiographical value of these autobiographies.
This book explores two medieval arguments against the possibility of infinity, shedding light on the early development of the concept of infinities of different sizes. The “Equality Argument” assumes all infinities are equal, while the “Mapping Argument” relies on the idea that if two things can be mapped onto each other without excess, they are equal. Originally used to argue against infinity, these concepts later became foundational in understanding the diversity of infinities.
Pluralistic Frameworks of Ibn Rushd and Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na’im
By Ayesha Omar
This book analyses the work of two Islamic political thinkers, Ibn Rushd, a 12th-century Andalusian philosopher, and Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na’im, a contemporary Sudanese reformist. Both theorise Islamic politics using “pluralistic frameworks,” which blend Islamic ethics with ideas from diverse traditions. Ibn Rushd harmonises Islamic thought with Greek philosophy, while An-Na’im reinterprets sharī’a through the lens of liberalism. Despite their differing methods, both aim to reconcile Islamic ethics with broader political perspectives, fostering dialogue and hybridity while retaining a distinct Islamic ethical foundation.
This book examines the relationship between authors and their works, exploring themes of estrangement, licensing, and patronage in material culture. It also draws on translation studies to consider the emergence of European vernaculars and the reinterpretation of classical and early Christian texts. Through figures like Horace, Dante, Montaigne, and Anne Bradstreet, it reflects on how authors “let go” of their works, the responsibilities of translators and editors, and the effects of censorship. By framing works as “orphans,” it highlights the vocabularies of loss, charity, and licence that shape literature’s journey beyond its creator.
The Cambridge Elements series has recently released seven thought-provoking books that delve into different aspects of medieval life, thought, and global connections. Best of all, these titles are currently available to download for free, making cutting-edge research accessible to anyone with a curiosity for the Middle Ages. From the enigmatic legend of Prester John to philosophical frameworks of inclusion, these works highlight the complexity and richness of the medieval era.
The Global Legend of Prester John
The Global Legend of Prester John explores the enduring fascination with Prester John, a mythical Christian priest-king whose legend shaped medieval and early modern thought. Drawing on sources from papal letters to missionary accounts, this book examines how the 12th-century Letter of Prester John influenced military tactics, papal policies, and medieval culture. It highlights the adaptability of the legend, which persisted for six centuries despite its mythical origins.
Click here to download this book from Cambridge University Press
Elephants and Ivory in China and Spain
This book provides a global history of ivory and the elephants behind it, recognising their individuality and dignity. It explores ivory’s cultural significance in the Song Dynasty, including newly translated texts and ceremonial items like ivory staves. It also examines the value of ivory in medieval Spain during King Alfonso X’s reign, featuring artifacts such as the Virxe Abrideira, an ivory statuette owned by Queen Violante of Aragon. The book concludes with a comparative analysis of the Sunjata epic from the Mali Empire, connecting it to 13th-century global ivory markets.
Click here to download this book from Cambridge University Press
Visions of Hierarchy and Inequality in Early Medieval England
This book explores the socio-political hierarchy of 10th- and 11th-century England, focusing on the fluid boundary between the ranks of ceorl and thegn. By analysing early medieval texts and modern scholarship, it reveals how these ranks carried significant social weight despite offering few tangible benefits. Through a detailed study of Archbishop Wulfstan II’s writings and other sources, the author highlights the blurred boundaries of ‘middling’ social statuses, offering a compound method for better understanding the construction of status in early medieval England.
Click here to download this book from Cambridge University Press
Historians’ Autobiographies as Historiographical Inquiry
This book takes a global perspective on the autobiographies of historians, spanning eras from antiquity to the present. It examines twenty autobiographies, including Caesar’s and Peter IV of Aragon’s medieval accounts, intellectual self-reflections by Gibbon and Adams, and writings by 20th-century women historians like Carolyn Steedman and Gerda Lerner. It also explores classical Chinese and Islamic traditions through Sima Qian and Ibn Khaldun, as well as modernisation narratives from figures like Fukuzawa Yukichi and Taha Hussein. By highlighting postmodern and postcolonial experiences, it emphasises the historiographical value of these autobiographies.
Click here to download this book from Cambridge University Press
Medieval Finitism
This book explores two medieval arguments against the possibility of infinity, shedding light on the early development of the concept of infinities of different sizes. The “Equality Argument” assumes all infinities are equal, while the “Mapping Argument” relies on the idea that if two things can be mapped onto each other without excess, they are equal. Originally used to argue against infinity, these concepts later became foundational in understanding the diversity of infinities.
Click here to download this book from Cambridge University Press
Pluralistic Frameworks of Ibn Rushd and Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na’im
This book analyses the work of two Islamic political thinkers, Ibn Rushd, a 12th-century Andalusian philosopher, and Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na’im, a contemporary Sudanese reformist. Both theorise Islamic politics using “pluralistic frameworks,” which blend Islamic ethics with ideas from diverse traditions. Ibn Rushd harmonises Islamic thought with Greek philosophy, while An-Na’im reinterprets sharī’a through the lens of liberalism. Despite their differing methods, both aim to reconcile Islamic ethics with broader political perspectives, fostering dialogue and hybridity while retaining a distinct Islamic ethical foundation.
Click here to download this book from Cambridge University Press
Who Owns Literature?
This book examines the relationship between authors and their works, exploring themes of estrangement, licensing, and patronage in material culture. It also draws on translation studies to consider the emergence of European vernaculars and the reinterpretation of classical and early Christian texts. Through figures like Horace, Dante, Montaigne, and Anne Bradstreet, it reflects on how authors “let go” of their works, the responsibilities of translators and editors, and the effects of censorship. By framing works as “orphans,” it highlights the vocabularies of loss, charity, and licence that shape literature’s journey beyond its creator.
Click here to download this book from Cambridge University Press
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