The Merlin Of St Gilles Well

In the bestselling tradition of The Mists of Avalon, a powerful retelling of the legend of Joan of Arc! For close to six hundred years, the world has been fascinated by the true story of Joan of Arc. The saga of her rise from obscurity to lead the armies of France, followed by her tragic martyrdom, has inspired many books, plays, and films. Less well known is the fact that Joan's astounding destiny was predicted by ancient prophecies attributed to none other than Merlin himself. Or that Joan, later canonized by the Church as a saint, may have been a practioner of an even older religion: the ancient pagan ways that predated Christianity throughout Europe. The Merlin of St. Gilles' Well is a stunning historical fantasy, based on actual events, that casts Joan and her times in a revealing new light. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Historical fantasy set in 15th-century France as a young hunter becomes involved in the country's political and religious wars.

The Merlin of St. Gilles' Well was named one of the 10 Best Fantasy and Science Fiction Novels the year by Booklist. Now Ann Chamberlin continues her acclaimed saga with another gripping mixture of brilliantly re-created history and ancient magic. A.D. 1425. France lies in bloody fragments, torn apart by decades of bitter warfare. Merlin's ancient prophecy foretells that a Maid will come, La Pucelle, who will unite the kingdom and heal the Land, but how much longer must the wounded country wait? In the farmlands of Lorraine, young Jehannette d'Arc wrestles with her place in the world. Her family wants her to be more like other girls, but she hears Voices urging her on to a greater destiny, as does the wise old hermit who knows, even before Jehanette herself, whom she truly is: The Maid of Orleans. The Merlin of the Oak Wood is an unforgettable novel that exposes the mythic roots running beneath one of history's most remarkable dramas. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Annotated bibliography of the Arthurian legend in modern English-language fiction, not only in literary texts, but in television, music, and art. The legend of Arthur has been a source of fascination for writers and artists in English since the fifteenth century, when Thomas Malory drew together for the first time in English a variety of Arthurian stories from a number of sources to form the Morte Darthur. It increased in popularity during the Victorian era, when after Tennyson's treatment of the legend, not only authors and dramatists, but painters, musicians, and film-makers found a sourceof inspiration in the Arthurian material. This interdisciplinary, annotated bibliography lists the Arthurian legend in modern English-language fiction, from 1500 to 2000, including literary texts, film, television, music, visual art, and games. It will prove an invaluable source of reference for students of literary and visual arts, general readers, collectors, librarians, and cultural historians--indeed, by anyone interested in the history of the waysin which Camelot has figured in post-medieval English-speaking cultures. ANN F. HOWEY is Assistant Professor at Brock University, Canada; STEPHEN R. REIMER is Associate Professor at the University of Alberta, Canada

Merlin, the wizard of Arthurian legend, has been a source of enduring fascination for centuries. In this authoritative, entertaining, and generously illustrated book, Stephen Knight traces the myth of Merlin back to its earliest roots in the early Welsh figure of Myrddin. He then follows Merlin as he is imagined and reimagined through centuries of literature and art, beginning with Geoffrey of Monmouth, whose immensely popular History of the Kings of Britain (1138) transmitted the story of Merlin to Europe at large. He covers French and German as well as Anglophone elements of the myth and brings the story up to the present with discussions of a globalized Merlin who finds his way into popular literature, film, television, and New Age philosophy. Knight argues that Merlin in all his guises represents a conflict basic to Western societies-the clash between knowledge and power. While the Merlin story varies over time, the underlying structural tension remains the same whether it takes the form of bard versus lord, magician versus monarch, scientist versus capitalist, or academic versus politician. As Knight sees it, Merlin embodies the contentious duality inherent to organized societies. In tracing the applied meanings of knowledge in a range of social contexts, Knight reveals the four main stages of the Merlin myth: Wisdom (early Celtic British), Advice (medieval European), Cleverness (early modern English), and Education (worldwide since the nineteenth century). If a wizard can be captured within the pages of a book, Knight has accomplished the feat.

Few individuals in the annals of world history have had so lasting an impact as Joan of Arc, who rallied a country behind her and continues to inspire people today. Although she began life as a peasant, she became a key figure in the latter stages of the Hundred Years' War. As a teenager she experienced visions from God calling her to aid the French king. Her confidence and bearing, along with her fervent adherence to God and her Catholic faith, belied her age and so influenced the monarch that he made her commander of one of his companies. She helped lead the French forces in battle against the English, in turn becoming a national icon. However, she was eventually captured and tried by the English in a trial rife with ecclesiastical and political overtones. Convicted as a heretic, Joan was sentenced and burned at the stake. As a martyr, she gained mythic status and the Roman Catholic Church made her a saint in 1920. This book presents a fascinating study of Joan of Arc's life based on excerpts from John A Mooney's gripping 1919 biography. The overview is augmented by a substantial and selective bibliography, featuring access provided through author, title, and subject indexes.

Throughout history women have caused wars, defied the rules, and brought men to their knees. The famous and the infamous, queens, divorcées, actresses, and outlaws have created a ruckus during their lifetimes-turning heads while making waves. Scandalous Women tells the stories of the risk takers who have flouted convention, beaten the odds, and determined the course of world events. *When Cleopatra (69 BC-30 BC) wasn't bathing in asses' milk, the last pharaoh of the Ptolemaic dynasty ruled Egypt and forged an important political alliance with Rome against her enemies-until her dalliance with Marc Antony turned the empire against her. *Emilie du Châtelet (1706-1748), a mathematician, physicist, author, and paramour of one of the greatest minds in France, Voltaire, shocked society with her unorthodox lifestyle and intellectual prowess-and became a leader in the study of theoretical physics in France at a time when the sciences were ruled by men. *Long before Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus, Ida B. Wells-Barnett (1862-1928) fought to end discrimination and the terrible crime of lynching and helped found the NAACP, but became known as a difficult woman for her refusal to compromise and was largely lost in the annals of history. *Gertrude Bell (1868-1926) had a passion for archaeology and languages, and left her privileged world behind to become one of the foremost chroniclers of British imperialism in the Middle East, and one of the architects of the modern nation of Iraq.

A guide to series fiction lists popular series, identifies novels by character, and offers guidance on the order in which to read unnumbered series.