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Dispelling myths of a dirty, superstitious Middle Ages, this entertaining volume explores medieval approaches to health and wellness.

Often maligned as an era of darkness and superstition, the Middle Ages in Europe have been stereotyped as lacking standards for basic hygiene, or, at the very least, for having a laughably simplistic approach to self-care and medicine. With wit and expert analysis, medievalist Larisa Grollemond explores everyday practices and beliefs of medieval life. She uncovers a world as nuanced and self-aware as our own while playfully connecting traditions from the Middle Ages to modern wellness culture.

• Challenges misconceptions of medieval Europe with engaging, evidence-based insights into hygiene and healthcare practices.
• Answers popular questions about daily life, including bathing, cosmetics, contraception, and the realities of medieval medical treatments.
• Features over 130 illustrations of illuminated manuscripts, medieval artifacts, and other art works that bring the past vividly to life.
• Connects medieval wellness practices to contemporary self-care trends, offering surprising parallels and fresh perspective.

If you think the Middle Ages were primitive and unsophisticated, this book will change your mind. With Medieval Wellness, you’ll discover a world of care, curiosity, and complexity that will feel familiar to your own.

A stunning reproduction of the Bayeux Tapestry, transcribed and translated for today’s readers.

Undoubtedly, the Bayeux Tapestry is one of the most important documents in British history. The tapestry is a visual narrative account of the events leading up to, and including, the Norman Conquest during the eleventh century; as such, the tapestry’s historical significance is unparalleled in its depiction of one of the United Kingdom’s most pivotal time periods. This book reproduces the full cycle of images of the Bayeux Tapestry made in the nineteenth century by Victor Sansonetti, based on drawings made by Charles Alfred Stothard and published in his Vetusta Monumenta (1821-23) for the Society of Antiquaries. This edition not only translates the Latin tituli and includes an accessible introduction, but each tapestry scene is beautifully reproduced to maximum effect and accompanied by both the text and translation.

Explore the dynamic relationship between nature and creativity in this lively look at how the natural world shaped art in the Middle Ages.

What did it take to make a work of art in the Middle Ages, and what did the environment have to do with it? A lot, it turns out. In Sourcing Nature, Heather Alexis Smith reveals how artists and laborers, who grew and gathered art-making materials, embraced challenges as resources shifted and climates changed. In some cases, scarcity spurred innovation in the conservation and use of local supplies and resulted in practices that have a surprising resonance with the present. An epilogue by artist and historian Jenny Price connects these concerns to our contemporary moment.

• Demonstrates that the environment actively influenced how, where, and even which types of art were made.
• Offers a fresh ecocritical perspective on art history, revealing nature as a collaborator.
• Uniquely organized into five chapters by ecosystem: water, forest, field, quarry and mine, and earth.
• Features over 100 full-color illustrations of iconic medieval artworks, including towering Gothic cathedrals, brilliantly illuminated manuscripts, gleaming reliquaries, and lustrous cloth.

Innovative and engaging, Sourcing Nature invites readers interested in art, history, and sustainability to see medieval art with fresh eyes—as a partnership and lively interchange between humans and nature.