A lot of colorful and substantiated details about a period of history that got later re-branded as "Dark Ages". Yet not boring or overwhelming (the way, say, Jared Diamond can be at times).
I am about to recommend it to my own Dad (who is scary smart), so I figured out it's time to contribute this review.
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Medieval Machine: The Industrial Revolution of the Middle Ages Paperback – November 17, 1977
by
Jean Gimpel
(Author)
|
Jean Gimpel
(Author)
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Print length192 pages
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LanguageEnglish
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PublisherPenguin Books
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Publication dateNovember 17, 1977
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Dimensions5.25 x 0.75 x 8 inches
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ISBN-109780140045147
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ISBN-13978-0140045147
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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
The Middle Ages, writes French scholar Jean Gimpel, saw an extraordinary flourishing of technological development throughout Europe. With the era came waterwheels and clock towers, nearly uniform machine parts and improvements in public hygiene, vaulting cathedrals and towering city walls, and a notion of spiritual and earthly progress that promised better things to come. In analyzing the growth of precision in measurement and of the experimental sciences, and in considering the careers of medieval geniuses such as the architect-inventor Villard de Honnecourt, Gimpel clearly conveys the intellectual excitement of the time. Sadly, it was undone by religious intolerance, brutal warfare, and the arrival of the plague as quickly as it rose.
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Product details
- ASIN : 0140045147
- Publisher : Penguin Books; 12th printing edition (November 17, 1977)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 192 pages
- ISBN-10 : 9780140045147
- ISBN-13 : 978-0140045147
- Item Weight : 7.2 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.25 x 0.75 x 8 inches
-
Best Sellers Rank:
#630,289 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,673 in Economic History (Books)
- #12,014 in European History (Books)
- #23,921 in World History (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
Customer reviews
4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
39 global ratings
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To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzes reviews to verify trustworthiness.
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Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on April 4, 2020
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One person found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on January 31, 2008
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Ask history professors about medieval Europe and they will likely highlight its philosphical achievements and political and theogical conflict. Rarely will they talk about the technological achievements and their effects on society.
This books fill in that gap. For anyone interested in technological history you will find this book very interesting. From the machinery of mills to advancements of building technology to the necessity for unions, this books shows how we are not all that unlike medieval Europe. It even speaks of events that we do not think about; i.e. medieval Europe was much warmer and drier then it is today. Medieval Europe was not technologically stagnant, but made many advancements that lead the way for modern advanced society. Great book!
This books fill in that gap. For anyone interested in technological history you will find this book very interesting. From the machinery of mills to advancements of building technology to the necessity for unions, this books shows how we are not all that unlike medieval Europe. It even speaks of events that we do not think about; i.e. medieval Europe was much warmer and drier then it is today. Medieval Europe was not technologically stagnant, but made many advancements that lead the way for modern advanced society. Great book!
11 people found this helpful
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4.0 out of 5 stars
But this is secondary to the main development of the book which does a nice job of filling in several hundred years of the ...
Reviewed in the United States on October 10, 2015Verified Purchase
Some really interesting material! The author does have the defect of allowing himself to make predictions/analyses of the future which have turned out to be incorrect. But this is secondary to the main development of the book which does a nice job of filling in several hundred years of the history of western technology in a time that we often think of as "primitive".
3 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on June 13, 2021
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The book was delivered promptly. I bought it used and it is in perfect condition, like new! Just started reading it and it is a page -turner. More later.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating Read
By buyer on June 13, 2021
The book was delivered promptly. I bought it used and it is in perfect condition, like new! Just started reading it and it is a page -turner. More later.
By buyer on June 13, 2021
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Reviewed in the United States on July 24, 2020
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Very satisfied.
Reviewed in the United States on December 11, 2012
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If your interested in medieval tech, this is a great book to start with. Well written and highly recommended read.
4 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2015
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Dependent on what you want - this is great. I have to admit, I knew Jean Gimpel. I edited some of his treatises on futurism, but we always talked about the philosophy. Nothing wrong with medieval science. Mechanical clocks, prisms - sound and light and time - and Jean puts it all into this book with lots of pictures and diagrams.
4 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on September 9, 2011
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During a trip to Portugal this summer, and after being surrounded by so many remnants of Medieval history, I had to learn more about the period. This book just blew my mind.
4 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries
C. J. Reynolds
5.0 out of 5 stars
Every chapter a very different gem
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 24, 2015Verified Purchase
Easily the best history book I've ever read. Looks of interesting facts. If you are interested in the gritty detail of the medieval era then this is fantastic.
It is not casual reading because it is fact dense. I found myself rationing it. I only allowed myself a chapter a week just so it soaked in.
Each chapter is on a very different topic. So one chapter was about the deforestation caused by dependency on wood. Another chapter was about the legal games mill owners played with water-level in the rivers and so on.
If you are North American, skip the last chapter which tries to draw parallels between a declining medieval France and a declining modern United States.
It is not casual reading because it is fact dense. I found myself rationing it. I only allowed myself a chapter a week just so it soaked in.
Each chapter is on a very different topic. So one chapter was about the deforestation caused by dependency on wood. Another chapter was about the legal games mill owners played with water-level in the rivers and so on.
If you are North American, skip the last chapter which tries to draw parallels between a declining medieval France and a declining modern United States.
One person found this helpful
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Mags L B.
2.0 out of 5 stars
Badly Faded
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 7, 2019Verified Purchase
Described as in good condition, disappointed, it was badly faded to a tan colour not just on edge but all over every page with a worn cover. It was cheap to buy so give it 2 stars, but would have chosen a different copy if honestly presented.
Amazon Customer
3.0 out of 5 stars
Great
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 18, 2019Verified Purchase
Good
Beaufort Abenefor
5.0 out of 5 stars
Thorough and Enlightening
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 8, 2015Verified Purchase
Does an excellent job of mapping where the Western Industrial Revolution has its origins. It is written in an easy style which makes it the more better considering the subject matter.
Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars
Four Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 8, 2017Verified Purchase
Good purchase. Interesting theory.
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