10 books like The Chronica Maiora of Thomas Walsingham [1376-1422]

By James G. Clark, David Preest,

Here are 10 books that authors have personally recommended if you like The Chronica Maiora of Thomas Walsingham [1376-1422]. Shepherd is a community of 8,000+ authors sharing their favorite books with the world.

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The Hundred Years War, Volume 1

By Jonathan Sumption,

Book cover of The Hundred Years War, Volume 1: Trial by Battle

Gordon Corrigan Author Of A Great and Glorious Adventure: A Military History of the Hundred Years War

From the list on the Hundred Years' War.

Who am I?

I decided to write this book because while there are many works on the Hundred Years War, they tend to dwell on the political and diplomatic, rather than the military aspects. I considered that this period marked a real revolution in military affairs, led by England. It was England that had the world’s only professional army since the collapse of the Roman Empire in the west in the 5th Century, that used technology (the longbow) as a force multiplier, and while moving on horseback did its fighting on foot. It was these three legs of the revolution that allowed tiny English armies to defeat far larger French feudal ones.

Gordon's book list on the Hundred Years' War

Discover why each book is one of Gordon's favorite books.

Why did Gordon love this book?

Quite simply the seminal work on the war. It describes the twists and turns of politics and diplomacy in fascinating detail. Not a read on the train but a magisterial study and an essential work for those interested in the subject.

The Hundred Years War, Volume 1

By Jonathan Sumption,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Hundred Years War, Volume 1 as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A History Book Club selection


Isabella

By Alison Weir,

Book cover of Isabella: She-Wolf of France, Queen of England

Gordon Corrigan Author Of A Great and Glorious Adventure: A Military History of the Hundred Years War

From the list on the Hundred Years' War.

Who am I?

I decided to write this book because while there are many works on the Hundred Years War, they tend to dwell on the political and diplomatic, rather than the military aspects. I considered that this period marked a real revolution in military affairs, led by England. It was England that had the world’s only professional army since the collapse of the Roman Empire in the west in the 5th Century, that used technology (the longbow) as a force multiplier, and while moving on horseback did its fighting on foot. It was these three legs of the revolution that allowed tiny English armies to defeat far larger French feudal ones.

Gordon's book list on the Hundred Years' War

Discover why each book is one of Gordon's favorite books.

Why did Gordon love this book?

Phillip IV of France ‘The Fair’ died in 1314. His three sons ruled after him in turn, and none provided a legitimate heir, so when the youngest son, Charles IV, died in 1328, the Capetian dynasty, which had ruled France for over 300 years, came to an end. But Phillip IV had a daughter, Isabella, who had married Edward II of England, and so their son, the future Edward III, was the nearest male relative to the deceased Charles IV.  Isabella was adamant that her son was the legitimate heir to the French throne, and it was this claim that was pursued throughout the Hundred Years War and which was only relinquished in 1802. Isabella has not had good press. Derided as ‘the she-wolf of France’ she was an adulteress, waged war against her husband, and was probably complicit in his murder. In fairness, she had much to contend with.…

Isabella

By Alison Weir,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Isabella as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Described by Christopher Marlowe as the 'She-Wolf of France', Isabella was one of the most notorious femme fatales in history. According to popular legend, her angry ghost can be glimpsed among church ruins, clutching the beating heart of her murdered husband. But how did Isabella aquire this reputation?

Born in 1292 she married Edward II of England but was constantly humiliated by his relationships with male favourites and she lived adulterously with Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March. Had it not been for her unfaithfulness, history might have immortalised her as a liberator- the saviour who unshackled England from a…


The Battle of Crécy, 1346

By Andrew Ayton, Sir Philip Preston,

Book cover of The Battle of Crécy, 1346

Gordon Corrigan Author Of A Great and Glorious Adventure: A Military History of the Hundred Years War

From the list on the Hundred Years' War.

Who am I?

I decided to write this book because while there are many works on the Hundred Years War, they tend to dwell on the political and diplomatic, rather than the military aspects. I considered that this period marked a real revolution in military affairs, led by England. It was England that had the world’s only professional army since the collapse of the Roman Empire in the west in the 5th Century, that used technology (the longbow) as a force multiplier, and while moving on horseback did its fighting on foot. It was these three legs of the revolution that allowed tiny English armies to defeat far larger French feudal ones.

Gordon's book list on the Hundred Years' War

Discover why each book is one of Gordon's favorite books.

Why did Gordon love this book?

There are lots of books about Crecy, the first major land battle of the war, but here the authors examine and compare all the original sources. Medieval historians were not necessarily interested in the things that modern historians are, so there are many gaps in the various accounts. Similarly, many academics, through no fault of their own, do not understand the mechanics of organising, deploying, and administering an army, or how it actually fought. Here the authors do examine points such as what formation the English armies would have taken up, where exactly the archers would have been placed, and suchlike. While I, with my own military experience, might not agree with all the Authors’ conclusions, they do an admirable job of comparing, contrasting, and shining light into dark corners.

The Battle of Crécy, 1346

By Andrew Ayton, Sir Philip Preston,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Battle of Crécy, 1346 as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

With additional contributions from Francoise Autrand, Christophe Piel, Michael Prestwich, and Bertrand Schnerb.

On the evening of 26 August 1346, the greatest military power in Christendom, the French royal army withPhilip VI at its head, was defeated by an expeditionary force from England under the command of Edward III. A momentous event that sent shock waves across Europe, the battle of Crecy marked a turning point in the English king's struggle with his Valois adversary. While the French suffered humiliation and crippling casualties, compounded by the consequential loss of Calais a year later, the self-confidence and military reputation of the…


1415

By Ian Mortimer,

Book cover of 1415: Henry V's Year of Glory

Gordon Corrigan Author Of A Great and Glorious Adventure: A Military History of the Hundred Years War

From the list on the Hundred Years' War.

Who am I?

I decided to write this book because while there are many works on the Hundred Years War, they tend to dwell on the political and diplomatic, rather than the military aspects. I considered that this period marked a real revolution in military affairs, led by England. It was England that had the world’s only professional army since the collapse of the Roman Empire in the west in the 5th Century, that used technology (the longbow) as a force multiplier, and while moving on horseback did its fighting on foot. It was these three legs of the revolution that allowed tiny English armies to defeat far larger French feudal ones.

Gordon's book list on the Hundred Years' War

Discover why each book is one of Gordon's favorite books.

Why did Gordon love this book?

Henry of Monmouth, Henry V, was the second king of the disputed Lancastrian dynasty, and in my opinion the greatest Englishman who ever lived. King at 25, slaughterer of the nobility of France at 27, regent and acknowledged heir to the French throne at 32, and dead at 34.  Had he lived, the history of Europe might be very different. He was a man who shaped English history and who still affects Anglo-French relations to this day. This book, by Ian Mortimer, one of the very best authors of the period, looks at the year 1415, the year when the young Henry led a sick, exhausted, and starving English army to a stunning victory over a far larger French force at Agincourt, in an example of leadership and military professionalism of the highest order.  

1415

By Ian Mortimer,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked 1415 as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Henry V is regarded as the great English hero. Lionised in his own day for his victory at Agincourt, his piety and his rigorous application of justice, he was elevated by Shakespeare into a champion of English nationalism for all future generations. But what was he really like? Does he deserve to be thought of as 'the greatest man who ever ruled England?'

In Ian Mortimer's groundbreaking book, he portrays Henry in the pivotal year of his reign. Recording the dramatic events of 1415, he offers the fullest, most precise and least romanticised view we have of Henry and what…


The Archer's Tale

By Bernard Cornwell,

Book cover of The Archer's Tale: Book One of the Grail Quest

J. K. Swift Author Of Acre

From the list on with realistic fight scenes.

Who am I?

I love a good fight scene! It doesn’t need to be long and gruesome, but it must be visceral and make me nervous for those involved. Don’t get me wrong, I also love a good first-kiss scene but unfortunately, my past has made me more adept at recognizing and writing one over the other. I started training in martial arts at the age of nine and continued for thirty years. I don’t train much these days but I took up bowmaking a few years back and now spend a lot of time carving English longbows and First Nations’ bows. I recently also took up Chinese archery.

J. K.'s book list on with realistic fight scenes

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Why did J. K. love this book?

Bernard Cornwell’s fight scenes are what I would call emotional rather than technical. You feel his fights, the vibration of sword against shield, the panic of your feet slipping in the mud, the fear rising up in your guts that will allow only a half-crazed scream to come out of your mouth. If you’re looking for a manual on sword fighting, Cornwell is not your man. But if you want to be put in a character’s armor while someone is trying to skewer him with a spear, no one does it better. I was drawn to this book because it was about an archer, and I know how hard it is to write fight scenes with archers in them. I am an amateur bowyer and having made more than a few bows I know how much skill it takes to make and use these weapons. Cornwell did a lot of…

The Archer's Tale

By Bernard Cornwell,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Archer's Tale as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Harlequins are lost souls, so loved by the devil that he would not take them to hell, but left them to roam the earth. In French the word is hellequin - the name given to the English archers who crossed the Channel to lay a country to waste.

Thomas of Hookton is one of those archers. When his village is sacked by French raiders, he makes a promise to God: to retrieve the relic stolen from Hookton's church. Escaping his father's ambitions, he becomes a wild youth who delights in the life of an army on the warpath.

Driven by…


Master of War

By David Gilman,

Book cover of Master of War

A.V. Arms Author Of Shadows

From the list on historical fiction with solid research.

Who am I?

As a lifestyle reporter, my favorite stories were those of ordinary people doing both great and small things that are extraordinary. I've written since I could string sentences together, beginning with a desire to create what I wanted to read. That need has landed me in historical fiction. Nothing else is as satisfying as plunging down rabbit holes of research to come up hours later wondering where the day went. I strive to make my novels as historically accurate as possible because the combination of emotional involvement of fiction is a great way to learn about history. I'm not here to rewrite history but to give my readers a chance to relive it. 

A.V.'s book list on historical fiction with solid research

Discover why each book is one of A.V.'s favorite books.

Why did A.V. love this book?

I was blown away by the history provided by Gilman in this book about his character Thomas Blackstone. It starts out with Blackstone as a blacksmith apprentice who is recruited to fight in the 100 Years War. He is made an archer with a strong arm, and the reader is transported into battles with Blackstone. The details of the archers, their importance to the army, and their equipment are a true learning experience. 

Master of War

By David Gilman,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Master of War as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'Like a punch from a mailed fist, MASTER OF WAR gives a true taste of the Hundred Years War. It is a gripping chronicle of pitched battle, treachery and cruelty. The stench and harshness of medieval life is ever present' ROBERT FABBRI, bestselling author of the Vespasian series.

England, 1346: For Thomas Blackstone the choice is easy - dance on the end of a rope for a murder he did not commit, or take up his war bow and join the king's invasion.

As he fights his way across northern France, Blackstone learns the brutal lessons of war - from…


By Force Alone

By Lavie Tidhar,

Book cover of By Force Alone

RJ Hore Author Of The Dark Lady

From the list on fantasy with a touch of darkness in its soul.

Who am I?

An avid reader, and a spec-fiction/fantasy reviewer for CM Canada online, I’ve wanted to tell stories for as long as I can remember. I write “pantser-style” and let the characters run loose, looking at their motivation to steer the tale, often starting with little more than an idea and, if lucky, a character or two. My love of history led me to writing mediaeval or historical fantasy, as my first group of published novels attest, but to avoid stagnation added science fiction and a fantasy detective series of novellas. To date have fourteen novels and three anthologies of my novellas published and have appeared on panels at several cons.

RJ's book list on fantasy with a touch of darkness in its soul

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Why did RJ love this book?

A brutal re-telling of the King Arthur legend, this novel reimagines the familiar story, retaining the feeling of weird magic, while pulling no punches about the characters. Arthur is a thug, Guinevere is no better, Merlin is a frustrated sprite beset by his female counterparts, and Britain is best described as a “clogged sewer that Rome abandoned just as soon as it could.”

The first of a five-book planned series to tell the story of the Matter of Britain, this is a ruthless and dark take that grabbed me from the beginning. I’ve always loved history, even a warped version like this. It left me eager for more and set me tracking down what else this author had written. I was not disappointed.

By Force Alone

By Lavie Tidhar,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked By Force Alone as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

There is a legend...

Britannia, AD 535

The Romans have gone. While their libraries smoulder, roads decay and cities crumble, men with swords pick over civilisation's carcass, slaughtering and being slaughtered in turn.

This is the story of just such a man. Like the others, he had a sword. He slew until slain. Unlike the others, we remember him. We remember King Arthur.

This is the story of a land neither green nor pleasant. An eldritch isle of deep forest and dark fell haunted by swaithes, boggarts and tod-lowries, Robin-Goodfellows and Jenny Greenteeths, and predators of rarer appetite yet.

This…


To the Greatest Heights

By Vanessa O'Brien,

Book cover of To the Greatest Heights: Facing Danger, Finding Humility, and Climbing a Mountain of Truth

Christine Reed Author Of Alone in Wonderland

From the list on outdoor adventures by and about women.

Who am I?

I got interested in long-distance backpacking in my mid-twenties, looking for an escape from the messy life I had created for myself. I wanted to reinvent myself, and a blog about the Appalachian Trail suggested a perfect solution. After 650 miles on the trail and the death of my mother, I knew I would never be the same. In the years since, I have hiked the Wonderland Trail (as featured in Alone in Wonderland) and the Colorado Trail. Backpacking has become more than an escape – it has become home.

Christine's book list on outdoor adventures by and about women

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Why did Christine love this book?

Vanessa O'Brien recounts her journey from busy businesswoman to badass mountaineer. She is now the fastest woman to complete the seven summits (both versions just in case you had anything to say about that!) She's brash and gutsy, doesn't hold back what she really thinks, and addresses some of the human and environmental issues facing the world's biggest and ever increasingly popular peaks.

To the Greatest Heights

By Vanessa O'Brien,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked To the Greatest Heights as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

When Vanessa O'Brien was made redundant in 2008 as part of the recession, she moved to Hong Kong with her husband for his career and resigned herself to being 'just the wife'. There she was, aged 46, bored, uninspired, unemployed. Was this going to be how she was going to live the rest of her life?

One night in the infamous Kee Club, over shots of tequila, a friend suggested O'Brien climb Everest, and that was the start of an epic journey she never looked back from as she climbed Everest, K2 and many other mountains.

This is her inspirational…


Crying with Laughter

By Bob Monkhouse,

Book cover of Crying with Laughter: My Life Story

Tony Flood Author Of My Life with The Stars: Sizzling secrets spilled!

From the list on the secrets of showbiz and sports stars.

Who am I?

I love comedy, showbusiness, mystery and fantasy stories, and sport—and these varied interests have resulted in me writing in various genres as both a journalist and author. My books have all been thoroughly researched and that has helped my crime thrillers receive glowing endorsements from best-selling writer Peter James in the case of Triple Tease and national newspaper journalist Stuart Pink in the case of Stitch Up! - Killer or Victim? My other books have also received excellent endorsements and reviews—fantasy adventure Secret Potion and Laughs and Tears Galore Short Stories and Poems With Twists, written jointly with my wife Heather Flood, best known for her children's books.

Tony's book list on the secrets of showbiz and sports stars

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Why did Tony love this book?

I loved comedian Bob Monkhouse's frankness as his autobiography revealed not only his often hilarious life story, but also the very painful personal tragedies he experienced.

When he was nine years old he fell in his garden and broke his leg, causing him to scream in agony. His mother ran out to him, but smacked him round the head and told him: “Quiet, Robert! What will the neighbours think?”

Fortunately, Bob showed kindness and love to his own son Gary who suffered from cerebral palsy, which meant part of his brain was permanently damaged and he was unable to control his limbs or speak.

Yet Bob made me—and the nationlaugh with his stand-up comedy routines, film roles, and amusing anecdotes.

Crying with Laughter

By Bob Monkhouse,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Crying with Laughter as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This is Bob Monkhouse's classic autobiography. One of Britain's most enduring and famous comedians tells us in his own inimitable style the fascinating and often hilarious story of his life. From disclosures of very painful personal tragedies to extraordinary and outrageously funny anecdotes about the stars he knew, his confessions are blisteringly honest, touching - and often shocking. Crying With Laughter combines heartache with hilarity, sexy showbiz revelations with genuinely moving tales of the hard times, and typically funny jokes with sobering personal reflections, to create a passionate, witty and sparkling account of an extraordinary man's extraordinary life.


The Musical Life

By Helen Marquard,

Book cover of The Musical Life: Hedwig Stein: Emigree Pianist

Caroline Studdert Author Of Hellcat of The Hague: The Nel Slis Story

From the list on about and by madly inspiring women.

Who am I?

I’ve always adored stories of courageous, sometimes outrageous women who forge ahead into the unknown, survive in strange lands in troubled times, pursue their career dreams. Like my favourite picks, I’ve relished my own adventures in distant countries (Libya, Czechia, Kyrgystan, Mongolia…), while always earning my crust from writing. From motivational research in Dublin and London, I switched to financial journalism in Holland, where I met and was inspired by ground-breaking journalist Nel Slis whose story I’ve told in my book Hellcat of the Hague. Now I’m settled in London to concentrate on my novels and short stories and be near my family, I hope you love these books too.

Caroline's book list on about and by madly inspiring women

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Why did Caroline love this book?

Helen Marquard’s search for a piano teacher led her to Hedwig Stein who had fled Berlin in 1933 with her Russian Jewish husband, both concert pianists, to start again from nothing. A large, vivid woman, Hedwig freely shared her ideas on music, art, philosophy, literature. Later, Marquard discovered Hedwig had written a diary, and determined to bring us this story that would otherwise have been lost, enabling Hedwig and her husband to take their rightful place in the roll-call of émigrés who have contributed so much to UK cultural life. Hedwig put her husband’s career and her children first, yet she never gave up on her own career, which continued its own quiet flourishing after her husband’s sudden death. 

The Musical Life

By Helen Marquard,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Musical Life as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Hedwig Stein was starting to make her mark as a concert pianist in Germany in the early 1930s when she fell in love with a Russian emigre pianist, Iso Elinson. He was half-Jewish, and quickly the pair knew they had little choice but to flee, despite vehement family opposition to that and to their proposed marriage. They chose England as their destination although neither had visited the country or spoke the language. They arrived with just twelve bags, a very small amount of money, a recommendation about Iso from Albert Einstein, and a few letters of introduction. Bit by bit,…


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