A World Lit Only by Fire

The Medieval Mind and the Renaissance: Portrait of an Age

By: William Manchester

Narrated by: Barrett Whitener

Length: 11 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's summary

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. The latter was 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.

Knight time: explore our list of titles about the Middle Ages.

©1979, 1980 William Manchester (P)2007 Blackstone Audio Inc.

Critic reviews

"An absorbing and readable history." (School Library Journal)
"Manchester provides easy access to a fascinating age when our modern mentality was just being born." (Chicago Tribune)
"Manchester has not forgotten the skills that, with invective, eloquence, and anecdote, make him a master storyteller."(Kirkus Reviews)

Falling asleep halfway through

I found myself constantly checking the timestamps, wondering when this book would end.. Sad, too, because I generally love books written about this era, but this one just fell flat.

Appalling reading

I strongly suspect that this is a computer-generated reading. The pronunciation of foreign languages that I know is so bad that I often do not recognize the words. If this was, in fact, a human being doing the reading, then this person needs some serious remedial work.

Narrated by a robot?

The book and story are worth it, the narrator is brutal. It often sounds like it’s narrated by a text to speech robot. If you can get past that, it’s worth it, if you can’t don’t get this version.

Very entertaining if oddly organized

This is an engrossing book which covers much of the culture of the "dark ages" up to the voyage of Magellan. It is well read and very entertaining. My only complaint is that the organization is odd. The is explained at the END of the book in the epilogue written by the author. I wish this would have come at the beginning because I found myself occasionally wondering where the author was going. It often felt like he's just skimming from one topic to another only to return to a topic in more detail later without apparent rhyme or reason. Once this is explained at the end, it made more sense. Still, it's a great book for amateur historians looking for a good overview of the culture during this time and really hammers home the awesome accomplishments of Magellan.

Manchester the Great!

This man will always be cherished for his meticulously researched, discerning works of history.
This is one of them. Excellent!

An excellent portrait of an age.

This is a fascinating book that delves into the history behind the history that we all have learned about. It takes you far beyond what you may have learned in high school or even college. I loved this book and the performance is perfect for the stories being told.

Easily the best book I've read on history.

He doesn't pull back. It's just the unvarnished account. love his work. Really would have liked to have read this in school instead of the politicized "here's how we think you should view history" text books I got.

A Cure For Insomnia

Would you listen to A World Lit Only by Fire again? Why?

I re-listen to it all the time. When I can't sleep, this is a surefire way to drift off. It's fascinating stuff. And the perfect degree of dryness, so that I can fall asleep guiltless.

What was one of the most memorable moments of A World Lit Only by Fire?

To be sure, it has to be the section on Martin Luther, a certifiable nut job of the first order! I sleep like a baby until old Barrett starts reading the writings of this bat case and I pop awake completely riveted. How on earth does anyone take Martin Luther seriously?

Which scene was your favorite?

Without a doubt it's ol' Martin's fascination with bodily processes. How does anyone read this and not go into hysterical convulsions? Really! And all of it read in Barrett's entertaining monotone. It has the quality of a computer reading porn. Insanely, and, I'm sure, unintentionally funny!

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Nothing in particular.

Any additional comments?

This is a fascinating book that is unintentionally hilarious to me. I listen to parts of it all the time because it is William Manchester after all. For some reason it just tickles me.

Great book for a simple but a butchery time

book endeavor is outstanding. simple, direct and easy to understand. this book must be read in all high schools and colleges

Great History!

What did you love best about A World Lit Only by Fire?

Excellent introduction to the Medieval period. I have the book; I have read the book, but hearing it is much better.

What did you like best about this story?

Voice was excellent.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes!