The King's Body: Sacred Rituals of Power in Medieval and Early Modern Europe

Book Description

The King's Body offers a unique and up-to-date overview of a central theme in European history: the nature and meaning of the sacred rituals of kingship. Informed by the work of recent cultural anthropologists, Sergio Bertelli explores the cult of kingship, which pervaded the lives of hundreds of thousands of subjects, poor and rich, noble and cleric. His analysis takes in a wide spectrum, from the Vandal kings of Spain and the long-haired kings of France, to the beheaded kings of England and France, Charles I and Louis XVI.

Bertelli explores the multiple meanings of the rites related to the king's body, from his birth (with the exhibition of his masculinity) to the crowning (a rebirth) to his death (a triumph and an apotheosis). We see how particular occasions such as entrances, processions, and banquets make sense only as they related directly to the king's body. Bertelli also singles out crowd-participatory aspects of sacred kingship, including the rites of violence connected with the interregnum (perceived as a suspension of the law) and the rites of expulsion for a tyrant's body, emphasizing the inversion of crowning rituals.

First published in Italy in 1990, The King's Body has been revised and updated for English-speaking readers and expertly translated from the Italian by R. Burr Litchfield. Deftly argued and amply illustrated, this book is a perfect introduction to the cult of kingship in the West; at the same time, it illuminates for modern readers how strangely different the medieval and early modern world was from our own.

Customer Reviews:

Highly recomended cholarly historical survey & analysis........2002-03-23

Ably translated from the original Italian by R. Burr Litchfield (Professor of History, Brown University), The King's Body: Sacred Rituals Of Power In Medieval And Early Modern Europe by Sergio Bertelli (Professor of History, University of Florence) presents an amazing and scholarly focus on a critical piece of European history: the nature and meaning of the sacred rituals associated with kingship. From the Vandal kings of Spain to the long succession of kings in England and France, The King's Body explores the multiple significance of rituals from birth to crowning and death. Very highly recommended for anyone with a keen interest in the history of the European monarchies, the black-and-white illustrations of classical artwork enhance this scholarly and serious historical analysis.

Divine Right's Trip : A Novel of the Counterculture

Average customer rating:

An Intense Look at Self
Far Out! - A Journey So Close To Home, Yet So Far Away.
This trip is definitely divine!
Divine Right's Trip will get you high and leave you there.
30+YEARS LATER, GURNEY'S NOVEL IS A CHUNK OF OUR HISTORY

Divine Right's Trip : A Novel of the Counterculture
Gurney Norman
Manufacturer: Gnomon Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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Historical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0917788427

Customer Reviews:

An Intense Look at Self.......2006-12-20

Divine Right's trip is an excellent novel about a small-town kid turned hippy who leaves town in his VW bus to discover the world. It is an accurate fictional portrayal of Kentucky and Appalachian life, and contains several take home lines-- my favorites being clever lines of rage against big coal.

Divine Right finds himself lost but is determined to find himself- which he eventually does. A great novel for those of us who know that there is always more to life than we have yet seen.

This novel also introduced me to one of Gurney Norman's other works, Kinfolks. It's also a great read.

Far Out! - A Journey So Close To Home, Yet So Far Away........2004-08-05

Divine Right Davenport, David Ray Collier, or D.R. for short lead the way for me to peer through his eyes and feel every emotion that forced its way through his soul continuing through mine. Gurney Norman is an author to be envied and one that I am sure to never forget. After finishing the book and digesting the information brought forth in the Afterword, I have an increased invaluable respect for Norman; I felt connected to him and his family, his friends, and his coworkers. This is a must-read for the soul. To silence your dragon within and find your Estelle. How beautiful and perfect her soul was. To travel the open road with Urge and his wonderfully tattooed skin. But most of all, to be hippy, I mean to be happy. OM MANI PADME HUM - David Moya, www.BlueprintPublishing.com

This trip is definitely divine!.......2000-03-12

Anyone who wants to know how to overcome the trappings of this shallow materialistic world and become a free and uplifted person, look no further. Divine Right is the most honest, soulful, lovable character that I have ever encountered in literature, and his struggles with family and identity should hit home with anyone who has ever had to rethink their view of self. I read this book once and had to read it again and again and again...I am a better person for it. Norman's descriptions of Kentucky are so perfect, and anyone who's never met the Greek in one form or another should definitely get ahold of this book ASAP!

Divine Right's Trip will get you high and leave you there........1998-10-24

I originally read this novel as "serialized" in the Whole Earth Catalog. They put each short chapter, sometimes only a few paragraphs, in a narrow column on every-other page of the catalog. I'll bet I've read this book four times.

Divine Right's Trip is so intensely, so honestly human that it hurts. Stick out your thumb and hitch a ride with hippie Divine Right and his girlfriend, Estelle as they bump along in Urge, D.R.'s psychedelically-painted VW bus.

To read this book is to trip. For those of you who haven't tripped, the sensation was summed up well by the very friend who bought me that Whole Earth Catalog 'way back then. He admits to "dropping acid" back in the late 60's. He told me once that tripping is like sneaking into the circus by crawling under the tent: Sometimes you get the clowns, sometimes you get the lions.

And that reminds me of something Divine Right read, written on a bathroom wall somewhere along his trip: (paraphrasing) "There are nights when the wolves are silent and the moon is howling."

Just read the book.

--LW

30+YEARS LATER, GURNEY'S NOVEL IS A CHUNK OF OUR HISTORY.......1998-05-15

This is a classic piece of American history. For those of us who were fortunate to live in the 60's, it will make you cry and it will make you laugh out loud. For younger readers, take a trip with Gurney back to a time when everything of the fertile mind was possible and "far-out". My favorite character: "The Lone Outdoorsman". Enjoy the ride and arrive alive!

The Divine Right of Capital: Dethroning the Corporate Aristocracy (BK Currents)

Average customer rating:

Thought Provoking and a Great Read
Essential reading
Necessary New Perspective
Unclear; Very Confused; Muddled Thinking
For years I've been wondering

The Divine Right of Capital: Dethroning the Corporate Aristocracy (BK Currents)
Marjorie Kelly
Manufacturer: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Policy & Current Events | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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Development & Growth | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Economic Policy & Development | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Free Enterprise | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Corporate Finance | Finance | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1576752372

Book Description

Wealth inequity, corporate welfare, and industrial pollution are the symptoms of our sickened economy, Marjorie Kelly suggests. The underlying illness is shareholder primacy. In The Divine Right of Capital, she shows that the corporate drive to maximize shareholder profits at any cost is not only out of step with democratic and free-market principles, but is detrimental to the long-term health of individual companies and the economy as a whole. Kelly offers a far-reaching solution to rebuild corporations in a way that serves all.

Customer Reviews:

Thought Provoking and a Great Read.......2005-06-15

I highly recommend this book.

Personally I have stored my older books by Mises, Hayek, Friedman, etc...away in my basement. Although still on the shelf, even Adam Smith and Ricardo are a bit outdated. Others may still believe in their theories, but I do not. I am looking for someone who can put forth a plan for economic reform. Ideas that again value work and economic stability from which strong families and engaged citizens can emerge. The author does this.

Personally I have grown weary of the right wing, free market utopian dogma of the day. Besides being old and tired, it is largely a sham. As the author points out the defenders of the status quo would have us believe the current economic system is natural law, when in fact it is subject to change and reform.

Beyond the rhetoric, the truth is in your pay check. For many Americans each day is filled with hard work and economic insecurity. It is also a matter of liberty. If all one knows is work, sleep, and worry, you can know nothing of freedom.

In particular the author's suggestion that beyond the IPO, subsequent stock holders are little more than anonymous economic parasites is very intriguing.

Along with "Confessions of an Economic Hit Man" and the Alexander Hamilton bio, I found it to be one of the best non-fiction books I've read this year.

Essential reading.......2004-01-19

As much information as I absorb about our state of government, there are still some very broad assumptions which pass under my radar. This book shines a brilliant light on issues that are critically important for ANYONE who wishes to consider themselves 'informed'.

The most basic mythology exposed: that those who speculate have superior & perpetual rights over those who earn by labor. The bias in our mass media & legal institutions is so outrageous that at first it's difficult to accept just how deeply we are being bluffed.

I am now on my second reading. If you only read one nonfiction book this year (instead of the Wall Street fiction & PR positioned as fact) do yourself a huge favor & buy this book.

Necessary New Perspective.......2003-07-08

For anyone who's ever felt a disconnect between what they're hearing about the economy and what they're experiencing personally, Marjorie Kelly's book is very enlightening. She challenges some of the fundamental assumptions we hold about the stock market's role in the overall economy. Particularly in the context of current debates about corporate responsibility legislation and the privatization of Social Security, this book is very important. "The Divine Right of Capital" is a must-read for social justice activists and market conservatives alike as we all try to figure out what to do with this broken system in post-Enron America. Love them or hate them, the ideas Kelly offers up are innovative and groundbreaking.

Note: I've talked to a couple of more radical/anarchist/extreme whatever types who found this a little on the tame side because it's so darn grounded in reality. If you're really about tearing down the whole system (not my approach, but best of luck), there might be more satisfying extremist rants out there. For everyone else, read this now!

Unclear; Very Confused; Muddled Thinking.......2003-06-24

Wonderful example of how undisciplined, muddled thinking can create unsound arguments, based on invalid premises, that yield conclusions that will confirm one's biases. Perhaps in a follow-up book, the author will "prove" that the world is flat. An early mistake: She declares that it is (mostly) false that stockholders fund major public corporations, noting that shares trade in secondary markets. Accordingly, she draws the conclusion that there is no reason that corporations should maximize the interests of stockholders and minimize the interests of shareholders, and that it would be just as appropriate to put the interests of employees first. In fact, clear economic thinking reveals that successful corporations do make the interests of employees a high priority, because a corporation with unhappy employees has difficulty retaining employees, which makes for an unsuccessful company. Further, when a corporation raises capital, it often does so by means of a public offering of securities, which is really an agreement between the corporation and the stockholders where the stockholders give the corporation money in exchange for the right to an ownership interest in the corporation. Whether the shares stay in the hands of the original purchaser or whether the purchaser sells them in secondary markets is not germain; whoever holds the shares holds the right to the ownership interest, which may yield value through appreciation, sale or dividends. If you think her argument that it would be equally appropriate for a corporation to maximize payments to employees and minimize the interests of stockholders, just try this little exercise: Form a coproration and attempt to raise capital to run the corporation (including to pay employees). Then tell the potential investors of your plan to minimize value to stockholders. Then count how many of these potential investors actually invest their money in your corporation. (Hint: if you guessed more than zero, you're too high.)

For years I've been wondering.......2003-03-20

One of the many reasons why I loved this book was because it answered a question I have had for years: Long after the initial public offering, how does the money used to buy a share of stock become available to the company that issued the stock?

I read many books in the public press that aimed to explain stocks and bonds to the unknowing, but I could never find the answer to this question and decided that it was a dumb question.

The Divine Right of Capital begins with the answer to my question: A public company only gets capital from a share of stock once: when it initially issues the stock. Any further increase in the stock price goes only to speculators also known as stockholders.

These speculators provide needed liquidity but law stipulates that in return they get compensated inordinately to the detriment of the corporation and its employees.

I think that the author's arguments might win the day (despite the readiness of some reviewers here to dismiss them as the rantings of yet another leftist) if emerging companies choose to raise capital by means other than issuing public stock.

Book Description

The seventeenth century was England's "century of revolution," an era in which the nation witnessed protracted civil wars, the execution of a king, and the declaration of a short-lived republic. During this period of revolutionary crisis, political writers of all persuasions hoped to shape the outcome of events by the force of their arguments. To read the major political theorists of Stuart England is to be plunged into a world in which many of our modern conceptions of political rights and social change are first formulated.

David Wootton's masterly compilation of speeches, essays, and fiercely polemical pamphlets—organized into chapters focusing on the main debates of the century—represents the first attempt to present in one volume a broad collection of Stuart political thought. In bringing together abstract theorizing and impassioned calls to arms, anonymous tract writers and King James I, Wootton has produced a much-needed collection; in combination with the editor's thoughtful running commentary and invaluable Introduction, its texts bring to life a crucial period in the formation of our modern liberal and conservative theories.

Average customer rating:

Divine Right is one of Jim Lee's best creations!

Divine Right: The Adventures of Max Faraday - BookOne
Scott Williams , and Jim Lee
Manufacturer: Wildstorm
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books
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Divine Right: The Adventures of Max Faraday - BookTwo (Divine Right)

Wizard: Jim Lee, Millennium Edition

Wildcats: Nemesis (Wildcats)

Heroes Reborn: Fantastic Four

Superman: For Tomorrow, Vol. 1

ASIN: 1563898756

Customer Reviews:

Divine Right is one of Jim Lee's best creations!.......2002-08-02

Divine Right: The Adventures of Max Faraday is one of Jim Lee's best creations! This DC trade paperback reprints Divine Right#1-7 and contains all the covers. This is the first comic book series where Jim Lee took the helm of both writer and artist. As Usual Scott Williams supplies the inks. Divine Right: Adventures of Max Faraday is about a struggling College Student named Max Faraday. He downloads a secret file called "The Creation Equation" on the Internet. The Creation Equation is suppose grant Max Faraday special powers and unlocks the secrets of the Universe! But the Evil Cardinal Lazerous is after "the Creation Equation" and he sends his minions after Max, his Best friend "Devon Lawless" and sister "Jenny Faraday". But The a superhero group known as "The Fallen" are sent to help Max and his friends. Together they journey to many places and discover the secrets of The "Creation Equation" Max Faraday also has an On-line love affair with a woman named "Suzanne Caste" She is Faradays internet friend and secret love-interest. Buy this book! One of Jim Lee's most interesting creations!Highest Possible Recommendation!

Average customer rating:

Revolution's brewing...

Divine Right (Merovingen Nights, No 5)

Manufacturer: DAW
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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Short Stories | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0886773806

Customer Reviews:

Revolution's brewing..........2002-04-15

As in all the anthologies in this series, _Divine Right_'s stories are written in a braided format, so that the effect is almost seamless as the events of the book flow forward. My comments are organized more by author than by appearance in the book. This volume (which has only had 1 edition to date) has a painting of a cat-whale on its cover, which I mention only to joggle the memories of those who may have read it before.
If you're hard up for a Merovingen-like story, try _The Shadow of the Lion_; Mercedes Lackey, one-third of the writing team, gave medieval alternate-history Venice some distinctly Merovingenish touches.

Abbey, Lynn "Red Skies" Richard Kamat's getting an ulcer, mainly from dealing with Mondragon, not just from playing politics with Boregy and Anastasi Kalugin. He'd happily get Mondragon a *real* boat instead of the sorry hulk he just bought, and pray to get him out of the city. Coping with his sister's so-far-unwed pregnancy and his mother's addiction, Richard's not amused to banter words with a deacon at Cassie Boregy's on the subjects of deathangel and abortion. Dr. Lambert encounters him, and offers frank advice - and Mondragon is less than thrilled to learn of the Sword revolutionary's presence, physician or no.

The Samurai security force is protecting trade properly, and giving Anastasi a counter to his sister's blacklegs. Then a large, mysterious box arrives, marked with symbols from the same reference book that inspired the Samurai's name, and everything changes yet again.

Asire, Nancy "Draw Me a Picture" Marina Kamat is convinced that Tom Mondragon is supplying her mother with deathangel. Raj, with his Takahashi honor, puts aside the temptation to use this as a lever on Marina's affections. He draws his College art student friend Justice into a plan to identify the real source of Andromeda Kamat's drugs.

Cherryh, C.J. "From the Files of Anastasi Kalugin, Advocate Militiar" - Various background documents, included for flavor.

Cherryh, C.J. "Seeds of Destruction" - The mysterious seeds sown by the Janists on the canals back in spring have spread all over the city canals as tangle-lilies - so called because where they grow thick, they tangle boat-poles. Change one thing, and you have to change another - as the canalers are forced to run their engines to be competitive, the engines break down more often. Fortunately, the Janists' study of ecology has given them a talent for predicting the consequences of tampering, and they're good at long-range planning.

Fish, Leslie "Run Silent, Run Cheap" And here's where the Janes fire up the next stage of their plan for getting a foothold in Merovingen: dealing with the old engine problem.

Lackey, Mercedes "Turning Point" A message from Rigel's grandfather has sobered him, carrying with it the full burden of Takahashi honor. His knowledge of medicine may not lead him to the life he wanted, but it may help repay the Kamats for their protection; as a former swampy, he knows some things about deathangel addiction that the Kamat house physician doesn't.

Morris, Janet "Second Opinion" Dr. Lambert's take on things, including walking a tightrope between two old lovers: Karl Fon, de facto dictator of Nev Hettek, and Chance MacGruder, ambassador to Merovingen.

Morris, Chris "Postpartum Blues" - Dr. Danielle Lambert, one of the devotees of the Nev Hettek revolution sent to the Merovingen embassy, is now torn by divided loyalties. Maintaining the alliance forged by Mike Chamoun's marriage to Cassiopeia Boregy of Merovingen involves her services, and acting as physician to deathangel-addict Cassie and her daughter is increasingly distressing, after the loss of her own child.

Rogow, Roberta "Farren's Folly: Meeting of Minds" - Farren has taken up with the least-respected of the Kalugins: Mikhail, who admires Cassie Boregy while at the same time taking an unRevanantist interest in technology; this time, fire-fighting equipment and a firewatch to operate it.

Book Description

John Milton was not only the greatest English Renaissance poet but also devoted twenty years to prose writing in the advancement of religious, civil and political liberties. The height of his public career was as chief propagandist to the Commonwealth regime which came into being following the execution of King Charles I in 1649. The first of the two complete texts in this volume, The Tenure of Kings and the Magistrates, was easily the most radical justification of the regicide at the time. In the second, A Defence of the People of England, Milton undertook to vindicate the Commonwealth's cause to Europe as a whole. They are central to an understanding both of the development of Milton's political thought and the climax of the English Revolution itself. This is the first time that fully annotated versions have been published together in one volume, and incorporates a wholly new translation of the Defence. The introduction outlines the complexity of the ideological landscape which Milton had to negotiate, and in particular the points at which he departed radically from his sixteenth-century predecessors. Further aids to students include a full chronology of Milton's life and events, a select bibliography and biographies of persons mentioned in the text.

Customer Reviews:

Political Writings?.......2005-10-25

Admittedly, it is difficult to define what exactly constitutes Milton's political writings, as he wrote on such diverse topics as divorce, freedom of speech, and how to establish a free commonwealth. Oddly, however, none of these works are in the book that I am here reviewing. Only the "Defense of the English People" and "the Tenure of Kings and Magistrates," found their way into this edition of Milton's political writings. Despite the injudicious selection of political prose coming from the people at Cambridge University Press, the introduction by Martin Dzelzainis is particularly helpful in terms of situating the texts in their historical and ideological context. Also, the texts themselves are well footnoted to give the reader a more nuanced understanding of these two sophisticated landmarks of English republican political thought.

Divine Right: The Adventures of Max Faraday - BookTwo (Divine Right)

Average customer rating:

Fabulous art, dumb story.

Divine Right: The Adventures of Max Faraday - BookTwo (Divine Right)
Scott Lobdell , and Jim Lee
Manufacturer: Wildstorm
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1563896524

Customer Reviews:

Fabulous art, dumb story........2007-07-12

There's really not much more to say. Jim Lee should only be allowed to draw comics, never write. Lots of really terrific artists tire of being told by someone else what to draw and they try to write their own stories. Some of them turn out to be good or even great writers and some don't. Jim lee is one who didn't.

I Could Use a Miracle Right Now! Miraculous Intervention for Difficult Times

Average customer rating:

Miraculous
EMOTIONALLY SATISFYING AND ENCOURAGING
No one should be without this book

I Could Use a Miracle Right Now! Miraculous Intervention for Difficult Times
John Webb Kline
Manufacturer: Trafford Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1412023483
Release Date: 2006-07-06

Book Description

An astonishing exposé of real-life faith and divine intervention that will open our eyes to the real miracles that are there for each of us whenever we need them.

Customer Reviews:

Miraculous.......2004-05-18

I had known Webb many years ago. Lost touch with him, but when I recently learned he had written a book, I was anxious to read it. Well, I read the entire thing in two days. Could not put it down. I was extrememly motivated and inspired. I am a beleiver, but I have not felt I was being fed spiritually recently. I had considered attending another church, I was blaming my lack of spirituality on my church and our newest minister. Lo and behold, this book has taught me that there is a difference between "faith" and "religion" and that you don't need an organized, structured setting to have a personal relationship with God. This book made me laugh, cry, and get chills up by back. The miracles that Webb has experienced are mind-boggling, but knowing him, they are definitely true. I look forward to putting into practice what this book has taught me, that God loves ME. He wants me to do good works, and he will continue to perform miracles in my life, too.

EMOTIONALLY SATISFYING AND ENCOURAGING.......2004-05-13

NOT ONLY DID I READ ABOUT THE MIRACLES ING JOHN'S LIFE, BUT IT MADE ME REALIZE THAT I TOO HAVE HAD MIRACLES. THIS BOOK IS REWARDING AND ENCOURAGING TO BE THE HANDS AND FEET OF JESUS DON'T BE A TALKER BE A DOER .

No one should be without this book.......2004-05-10

Simply the most inspiring work I've read in years. If your life lacks purpose, it won't by the time you finish this book. I have never heard God defined so intimately or so clearly as is presented here. I am not a religious person, yet this book never made me feel preached at. Rather, I have sensed the warmth and compassion of a loving God who's mission is to fill the world with his love. An incurable skeptic, I never knew one book could change my whole perspective about God so much. Now I can see that his miracles have been all around me all my life.

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