Rating: 
Summary: I highly recommed this book!
Review: Whether you are looking for a spectacular read, are a student or just a history buff, I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It is of a caliber that is equally enjoyable to any of the above readers. Beginning with a glimpse into the medieval European's mind, Manchester goes on to describe the key events and personalities that led to the Renaissance and the Protestant Reformation - both of which are firmly rooted in the medieval tradition, both irreversably changing Europe into a modern society. The book is magnificent. Even though I am very familiar with the era, Manchester's writing kept me in rapt attention. In writing about individuals such as Lucretzia Borgia and Martin Luther, you truly get a feel for them as real people, not just dry names and dates as is so often the case in histories. Manchester also does a remarkable job of clarifying and explaining the events which were so influential to European (and world) history: the birth of the Renaissance, European exploration of the world, the Protestant Reformation, the Columbian exchange. A World Lit Only By Fire is entertaining, fascinating and historically accurate. I am sure you will enjoy it as much as I have - I strongly recommend this book.
Rating: 
Summary: An Interesting View
Review: I liked this book. It offers views of historical events that have shaped the way about we as the current generation of Humankind view the world. It is a good start to introduce a modern person into the realities of life between the fall of the Roman Empire and the dawn of the Rennaissance. Read it and enjoy it.
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Summary: This Content Restored My Hope in History
Review: This is the first history book I have ever found interesting. I don't have a lazy brain, being a technically active person, however, history content has always been so dull I gave up on it starting in fifth grade. That is until I encountered William Manchester's work. I am on my second reading of A World Lit Only By Fire because the topics and style are vastly interesting. Here you will read the truth about pilgrimages, popes and punishment; the brave, the brazen and the blunders that propelled earthlings forward despite the incredible follies of the times. Remove the veil - it's not much different than current times.
Rating: 
Summary: Well...
Review: I really enjoyed this book, and it inspired me to do some more reading about the era. However, the more I read, the more I'm discovering that this book appears to be mostly just a rehash of legends and popular misconceptions, and is factually way off...Why go to the trouble to write this book, but then perpetuate untruths? My point is: Even if this is not a scholarly work, he really shouldn't have been so sloppy with facts...it was so unnecessary...his writing style is such that even the truth would have been interesting!
Rating:
Summary: A World Lit Only By Fire
Review: Don't let the title fool you. This book is mostly about the Renaissance; only the slim first section meditates directly on the Middle Ages. We should expect this; the people of the Middle Ages left scant written evidence of their lives. As Manchester writes, "Even those with creative powers had no sense of self. Each of the great soaring medieval cathedrals ... required three or four centuries to create ... Yet we know nothing of the architects or builders." The middle section describes the Catholic Church as an institution of declining power and influence, culminating in the Protestant reformation. Manchester recounts the un-Christian debauchery of various popes and papal officers. When in power, the Protestant elite behaved hardly better than their Catholic predecessors. The balance and majority of the book offers a biography of Magellan and his circumnavigation of the world. Manchester considers this the crowning achievement of the Renaissance. Manchester writes popular history. His solid (sometimes stolid) prose provides a serviceable narrative. This history does not claim (in fact, the author specifically denies it) any new or breakthrough scholarship. Manchester is not writing for experts. He describes the seam between two ages, the age of God and the age of man, that became the most important period in human history. An analogy is helpful to understand its significance. Early in his life, a newborn baby has no sense of others. In the baby's mind, his mother exists solely to fulfill his needs. Medieval man, believing Earth the center of the universe, was in much the same state. During the Renaissance, Europeans -- like the newborn child becoming aware of others and their separate existence -- discovered the world around them. In the 20th century, we are still reeling from the shock of this revelation.
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Summary: From a student point of view
Review: I was required to read this book for my AP European History course, and I was slightly disappointed. The book is a basic composite of the transition from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance, and as my teacher points out - one of the only books to do so. The format of the book is not good though. It is split into 3 sections, the first being an intro to the transition the people went though, the 2nd focusing on the Church, and the 3rd (the strangest) is a complete biography of Magellan. The first two sections discuss the importance of the Church and the influence of Martin Luther, while the third almost has no relation to the first two sections. The third section tells all about Magellan and his accomplishments, such as circumnavigating the world (he didn't actually circumnavigate the world, he died in the South Pacific) and bringing Catholicism to Fiji. I found the Magellan section to be very, very entertaining. The problem with the book itself is that it does not flow well; it is almost as though Manchester chose to write about the Renaissance, then at the end tack on his personal narrative of the greatness of Magellan. If you have to read this book for an AP European History class, which I think is the standard for incoming students, then I would buy this book and really just focus on Magellan, because that is the one thing that will hold your attention. Although unrelated, the Magellan section provides a great look at one of the most important explorers ever.
Rating: 
Summary: The Most Boring Book I Have Ever Read!
Review: I was forced to read this book for my AP European History class, and if I wasn't this book would have gone in the trash by the time I had gone through 10 pages. I have read and enjoyed several historical non-fiction books in the past, but this was so much like a history text book that reading it was pure pain. The book focuses so much on the sexual encounters of the people during this age that it is enough to make one sick. It solely talks about the Christian religion as opposed to the actions and ideas of the pagan, Jewish or Muslim reigions. It very rarely talks about anything other than religion, such as the inventions and art and literature that defined the age. In short, don't read this book unless you have a serious sleeping disorder.
Rating:
Summary: Not Bad
Review: Good reading, but you have to keep an open mind...
Rating:
Summary: full of interesting information to make you want more...
Review: As a Medieval Studies major I was eager to read a book that was NOT required. I was overwhelmingly surprised with this one. _A World Lit Only by Fire_ covers the basics of medieval history while enlightening the reader with stories of the time. What impressed me most was the variety of characters displayed. I'm sorry to say that most of the books I have read on the subject did not mention many of the people found in this book--or at least not in as much depth. I am intrigued and eager to find out more about each of them. I highly recommend this book to anyone who desires an easy-to-read, in-depth introduction to medieval times.
Rating:
Summary: Ehh..
Review: I had to read this book for school.. getting past the first 50 or so pages was a challenge. Manchester goes in deep depth covering the period with anecdotes (all of which have expansive details). Some are witty and interesting but others are a waste of page space. The book was overall a good piece for those who are interested in the age before the Renissance. Though the Magellan chapter stuck out like a sore thumb... It's good.. only if you can push yourself through it.
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