A close up of a peacock from St Matthew's Gospel Book of Kells is reproduced on the front cover of this dark pink 128 page lined blank notebook, 12.45 x 16cm or A6 size. Produced around the year 800, the Book of Kells is one of the greatest surviving objects from Medieval Europe, a Latin text of the Four Gospels employing an extraordinarily rich and colourful decoration. It is now a national treasure in a collection at Trinity College, Dublin. A quality stationery item for ladies or gents. Bargain price.

Sub-titled 'Kingdoms at the Crossroads of Civilizations, 1100-1300', the Near East in the era of the Crusades was home to diverse populations of Orthodox and Latin Christians, Shia and Sunni Muslims, Jews and Samaritans. It was the meeting-point for Arab, Turkish, Byzantine and Frankish culture, the latter itself a mixture of Western traditions adapted to circumstances in the crusader states by the Europeans who had settled in the Holy Land. While the Crusades became a synonym for brutality and bigotry, the crusader states represented a positive example of harmonious coexistence across two centuries. Scholars from a wide range of disciplines including archaeology, art history and medicine have shed light on diverse aspects and to date there is no single introductory source that provides a comprehensive overview of these unique states. This book aims to fill that gap covering the history, demography, state institutions, foreign policy, economy, art, architecture, and lifestyle of the people organised in two main parts - a chronological historical overview, and a topical discussion of key features. An additional chapter describes the rise and fall of the House of Ibelin to give the entire history a human race. Here is the reestablishment of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the Kingdom of Cyprus, the Mongols and Mamluks, feudal superstructure, diplomatic affairs, agriculture and religious tourism, financial services and manufacturing, trade and technological and intellectual exchange, food, fashion, language, literacy, hospitals and social welfare. With useful chronology, 342pp with colour maps and photos and images.

Get out your extra powerful magnifying glass or read under any standard microscope this Bible reduced 250 times! The Itty Bitty Bible can be carried on you at all times - just open the teeny colourful doors to find faith, hope and love, sending blessings the whole day through. 'Through its small window a heavenly view', which is the teeniest print on a Perspex sheet, over 1200 pages reduced 250 times through a special photographic process. An extraordinary pocket sized book. A companion to the King James Bible code 93198.

The Fall of Acre in 1291, which was then by far the most important remaining vestige of the Crusader lands of Outremer, was the apocalyptic conclusion of two centuries of intervention in the Levant by the Christian states of Western Europe. It was a harrowing finale and one is made aware of the sense of terror of thousands of its citizens. Those with money purchased an over-inflated ticked to freedom on one of the last ships to leave the port. In the early Middle Ages the Christian presence in the Middle East took a series of blows from often superior Muslim forces, only for a fresh wave of Crusaders to regain territory. But the Fall of Acre finally brought dreams of a Christian Holy Land crashing down. The city had first been captured by under Richard the Lionheart in 1189-91. The aftermath was a horrific massacre of 3,000 Muslim prisoners on Richard's orders, which contrasted vividly with the peaceable capture of Jerusalem by Saladin in 1187. Three quarters of a century later the Mamluk sultan Baybars had assumed Saladin's mantle. He was a powerful statesman who had turned back the Mongol tide that threatened to deluge Asia and Egypt, the mainstay of Muslim power. He was also utterly ruthless, conquering Crusader towns and castles with terrifying persistence. Eventually just a few towns were left, most crucially Acre, the Christians' capital since Jerusalem had been lost. Then Baybars suddenly died in what seemed like divine intervention, but in this chance for peace, visitors from Europe assaulted Muslim traders and the sultanate in Cairo reacted with force. In the harsh siege that followed, Templars and Hospitallers fought alongside secular knights in a frantic last stand, but the Muslim forces broke in and unleashed a reign of terror. As Venetian sea captains negotiated with the highest bidder to ship Christian refugees to safety, thousands were killed or taken into slavery in reprisal for the historic massacres of Muslims in Jerusalem in 1099 and Acre in 1191. The Crusaders' centuries-old campaign to unite Christendom around Jerusalem would never recover. But the storyline is far more than religion gone wrong - it is also a tale of political intrigue and miscalculation, of military brilliance and incompetence. It is an epic of emerging great powers of Mongols and Mamluks, a conniving and scheming commercial rivals from Genoa, Venice and Pisa, of unscrupulous Holy Roman Emperors, Popes seeking to expand their powers, and scheming Angevin princes. With all the plot twists of a novel, this is exciting history. 320pp, 16 pages of colour photos.

Sub-titled 'The Vital Questions of Religious Authority in Christianity', the essays in this book address the central issue of authority in the Christian life. After the apostles Peter and John had healed the lame man at the Gate Beautiful, the two disciples were arrested and later brought before the Sanhedrin to account for their deed, one that continued to stir the already anxious leaders of the Jews: 'And when they had set them in their midst, they asked, 'By what power or by what name have ye done this?' (Acts 4:7). Indeed, what was the source of their miracle and by what power or authority did they perform it? Those queries ring through the centuries because people in our day still pose the questions. Most Christians want to be a part of a denomination or organisation that is true, faithful to what existed in the first century, authorised and therefore approved of God. In other words, they want to know that God is governing among his people, and that he is empowering the body of Christ of which they are a part. Jesus of Nazareth went about doing good - lifting and consoling the weary, enlarging the circle of the accepted and acceptable, demonstrating a willingness to be inconvenienced, and teaching the importance of loving God and loving one's fellow mortals. Jesus had authority to be sure, and the scriptures appear to attest to the fact that his representatives were given a similar authorisation and officiated in his name. They were given 'keys of the kingdom of heaven', but were they delivered to Peter alone, or to all of the Twelve? By what authority could Luther and other Reformers make the claim that the Roman Catholic apostolic authority was no longer needed? Is a 'priesthood of all believers' a scripturally sound concept? How does one derive authority from the Bible? What is the relationship of authority to scriptural interpretation? These are only some of the questions addressed in this book, itself an informative exploration and a rewarding exercise. 200 page large softback.

Waldron offers us a Francis of Assisi who speaks to us of the 21st century, with whom modern people can identify. He explores the saint from three perspectives - biographical, psychological and aesthetic. He understands Francis through our new science of psychology and through the beauty of Bellini's masterpiece St. Francis in the Desert, the painting shown on the front cover of this book. He employs Carl Jung's theory of individuation - the steps taken by Francis to become his True Self. He employs the painting to shed light on St. Francis the mystic, he who was gifted by God with the Stigmata. Waldron also addresses Francis's poem 'The Canticle of the Creatures', offering an exegesis of the poem providing insights into the saint's life as a Christian and as a mystic. As a study guide we are encouraged to go more deeply to discover the source of the light St. Francis shines not only on his contemporaries but also on us today. We are involved in a journey of close reading of events and written sources as well as the interpretation of artists in an adventure into how God illuminates those who do God's will. 108 page paperback.

Martin Luther's purpose was to console and encourage people and to help them overcome anxiety. He calls Christians to a free reliance upon Christ through faith made possible by his mercy, grace and favour. An informative anthology of Martin Luther's writings, emphasising his work as a theologian, exegete and pastor, the book in itself is an eloquent witness on how far Lutherans and Catholics have advanced in their quest for mutual understanding as fellow Christians. Luther, a towering figure who stood at the vortex of the 16th century storms that left Catholics and Protestants divided, is one who belongs to us all. His spirit has kept the message alive and most Catholics have heard the legendary account of his nailing 'Ninety Five Theses' calling for reforms to the door of a church in 1517. Renegade or reformer, his writings and creativity were in part due to a defensiveness and aversion created by the bitterness of past divisions. The entire collection of his works fills over 100 volumes and Eric Gritsch is one of the most experienced and expert guides and the urgency, directness and simplicity which aims right at the reader in this century. His was an age of 'anguished conscience' that could not find peace. Ours is an age troubled by a different form of 'works righteousness', an achievement orientated society that strives for accomplishments but with an emptiness about the deeper meaning of our lives. In this collection the figure of Luther emerges as a pastor, teacher and preacher and he is always invigorating and one of the greatest Christian spiritual writers. One of his favourite quotations from Paul: 'Test everything; hold fast to what is good.' 'Eric Gritsch in this collection puts his finger on the pulse of the Reformer so that we can sense the heartbeat of this religious genius.' 192pp, paperback.

Between 1100 and 1400 the number of women saints rose substantially as women began to explore new roles within church and society. Beguines, who were prominent in Northern Europe, dedicated themselves to prayer, some combining prayer with works of charity and nursing and promising chastity. Mechtild of Magdeburg, the only beguine mentioned in this collection, went to Magdeburg to live at the age of 12 and remained there until she retired to the monastery of Helsta in old age. Angela of Foligno was the Southern European equivalent, joining the Franciscan Third Order and choosing a lifestyle she felt suited to her particular calling. During the crusades, women could take charge of their own lives in a variety of ways, opening up horizons of activity and thought unfamiliar to women of earlier times. Obbard introduces the spiritual experiences and theological insights of four medieval women - the above mentioned plus Gertrude the Great, Birgitta of Sweden and Julian of Norwich. Here are their own words, teachings recorded by companions, their own hymns of thanksgiving, about poverty and penance, Angela as mother and teacher, Birgitta the inspired one and pilgrim, the background to Julian's Revelations, and visions of Our Lady. Gertrude was influenced by the new spirit of romanticism introduced by Bernard of Clarvaux; Birgitta, noblewoman and foundress of a new mixed community of men and women; and Julian, the recluse who produced a remarkable work of theology. Highly recommended. 158 page paperback.

Part spiritual autobiography, part apologetics, Orthodoxy is a celebration of the timeless wisdom that has shaped cultures and civilisations throughout history. G. K. Chesterton's exploration is a captivating reminder that truth often resides in the familiar, waiting to be rediscovered by those willing to embrace the enigmatic dance of faith and reason. His thought-provoking journey illuminates the timeless brilliance of Christian philosophy, challenging the status quo and revealing profound insights into the human experience. Chesterton traces his intellectual evolution from pagan to agnostic to positivist philosopher and compares his own modern philosophy to the rich tapestry of Christian theology. He uncovers a surprising revelation - that his daring ideas are not new at all, but rather echoes of eternal truths. With wit, eloquence and a dash of humour, he takes the reader on a compelling quest in defence of faith and how Christianity holds the key to the profound questions and needs of humanity. In doing so he penned one of the great classics of Christian writing a book that continues to influence countless people seeking the 'answer to a riddle'. The book was written in 1908 when Chesterton was an Anglican and he converted to Catholicism 14 years later. He chose the title Orthodoxy to focus on the plainness of the Apostles' Creed. He is of course best known for his mystery thrillers featuring the priest-detective Father Brown. 188 page paperback.

'From Canterbury To Rome In Search of Faith', the book traces an ancient pilgrimage route and explores the past and future of Christianity. Moved by his mother's death and his Irish Catholic family's complicated history with the church, Timothy Egan decided to follow in the footsteps of centuries of seekers to force a reckoning with his own beliefs. He embarked on a thousand mile pilgrimage through the theological cradle of Christianity exploring the collapse of religion in the world that it created. He sets out along the Via Francigena, once the major medieval trail leading the devout to Rome, overland via the alpine peaks and small mountain towns of France, Switzerland and Italy, with the goal of walking into St. Peter's Square in hopes of meeting the galvanizing pope who is struggling to hold together a church through the worst crisis in half a millennium. He finds a modern Canterbury Tale in the Chapel where Queen Bertha introduced Christianity to pagan Britain; parses the supernatural in a French town built on miracles; and journeys to the oldest abbey in the Western world, founded in 515 and home to continuous prayer over the 1,500 years that have followed. He is accompanied by a quirky cast of fellow pilgrims and by some of the towering figures of the faith - Joan of Arc, Henry VIII and Martin Luther. With our companion we'll feed mind, body and soul along the winding paths of the French and Italian countryside as Egan draws us in, making us feel frozen in the snow-covered Alps, joyful in valleys of trees with low-hanging fruit, sceptical in the relics of embalmed saints, and hopeful for the healing of his encrusted toes! Egan is 'a masterly collector of memorable stories.' 367pp, tiny remainder mark, maps.