FALL-WINTER 2013 - University of Toronto Press Publishing

MEDIEVAL & RENAISSANCE STUDIESPrologues to Ancientand Medieval HistoryA ReaderEdited by Justin LakeReadings in Medieval Civilizations and CulturesUTP Higher EducationApprox. 352 pp / 6 x 9 / November 2013Cloth 978-1-4426-0798-9$86.00 (£55.99) EPaper 978-1-4426-0503-9$37.95 (£24.99) XHistory / Medieval StudiesThe purpose of a prologue in the ancient and medieval world was to define the subject of thework, explain the author’s motives and methodology, and obtain the reader’s approval of hisposition. This volume brings together for the first time the most important historical prologuesof the European tradition for a period of almost two millennia.The volume consists of 82 historical prologues and prefatory epistles from the fifth centuryBC to the fourteenth century. Each individual prologue is preceded by a brief introduction thatprovides basic information and context about the author and his work and directs the reader’sattention to important ideas and themes. Taken together, they help to bridge the gap thatseparates the ancient and medieval world from our own.Justin Lake is an assistant professor of Classics in the Department of International Studies atTexas A&M University.A Poisoned PastThe Life and Times of Margarita de Portu,a Fourteenth-Century PoisonerSteven BednarskiUTP Higher EducationApprox. 256 pp / 6 x 9 / October 20135 images, 2 mapsCloth 978-1-4426-0771-2$60.00 (£39.99) EPaper 978-1-4426-0477-3$27.95 (£18.99) XHistory / Medieval StudiesThis is the story of Margarita de Portu, a medieval French woman who was falsely accused ofpoisoning her husband to death. In addition to learning about her engaging story, the readeralso learns how historians “do” history and discovers the rewards and pitfalls of working withprimary sources.The book opens with a chapter on micro-history as a genre, explaining its strengths,weaknesses, and inherent risks. It then tells the narrative of Margarita’s criminal trial, includingchapters on the civil suits, appeal, and Margarita’s eventual fate. Maps are provided, as well asan example of a court notary’s rough copy, a notarial act, a sample folio of a criminal inquestrecord, a list of characters, a timeline and family tree, transcriptions of a criminal inquest, anda translation of the criminal charges made against Margarita.Steven Bednarski is an associate professor in the Department of History at St Jerome’sUniversity in the University of Waterloo.54UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO PRESS