Medieval & Renaissance

Erasmus’ biting and brilliant 16th-century satire is ingeniously reimagined with illustrations by award-winning artist Matthew Richardson.

Still one of the most influential books in its field, Campbell’s account of six hundred years of power struggles, blood-feuds, conquest and gold hoards is now vividly portrayed by Folio with full-colour photographs.

The Glory of Byzantium and Early Christendom is a celebration of 300 of Byzantium’s finest works of art and expressions of Christian faith.

Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms showcases the British Library’s outstanding collection of manuscripts and accompanies the 2018 exhibition of the same name. 

Ian Mortimer, best-selling author of the Time Traveller’s series, launches readers into the omnipresent odours and architectural wonders of Elizabethan England in our stunning new Folio Society edition.

Funny, learned and frank, this book explores what life was really like in the Middle Ages. With specially commissioned illustrations by Robert Venables.

The infamous battle examined from all angles by one of Britain’s most acclaimed historians.

Nepotism, murder and debauchery abound in this gripping portrait of a family that bribed their way to power in Renaissance Italy. The first illustrated edition, this is designed in series with Hibbert's The Rise and Fall of the House of Medici.

An engaging and comprehensive study of one of history’s most celebrated artefacts. This edition features a colour reproduction of the Tapestry, with a scene-by-scene commentary.

One of the finest of all surviving bestiaries in an exceptiional limited edition facsimile. A treasure of the Bodleian Library, this Bestiary shows the medieval art of illumination at its best, with 135 miniatures glowing with rich, gleaming gold.

In this fascinating study, historian Richard Barber examines the elaborate pomp and ceremony of the medieval court festival, revealing as he does so its wider cultural and political importance. This volume is published exclusively by The Folio Society.

A revealing portrait of one of the most powerful women in history, who remained the subject of scandalous rumour throughout her life and beyond.

Exploring the greatest religious schism in Western history, Diarmaid MacCulloch reveals why the people of Europe were willing to die and kill for their beliefs.

Bede, the father of English history, created a dramatic narrative which remains the most valuable chronicle of Anglo-Saxon England in existence, and an unrivalled account of the early days of Christianity.

Bell's vivid and gripping account has never been bettered. This re-edited edition brings his erudite and sensitive approach to a new generation of readers.

The Middle Ages have often been depicted as a period in which life had few comforts. Nonsense, says the great medieval scholar Chiara Frugoni, in this delightful examination of the many inventions we owe to the period.

Before the modern age, only the intrepid, foolhardy or mad would undertake a voyage of exploration. Impossible Journeys tells the stories of 24 of these extraordinary journeys, from the Middle Ages to the Victorian era.

Claiming the lives of thousands, including three kings and eight dukes, the bloody conflict between the Houses of York and Lancaster fuelled three decades of turbulence. Desmond Seward’s engrossing work focuses on five individuals from both sides, including Yorkist hero William Hastings, and Jane Shore, disgraced mistress of Edward IV.

In his sequel to the best-selling The Wars of the Roses, Desmond Seward reveals the secret conflict that continued throughout the reigns of both Henry VII and Henry VIII.

A wonderful collection of bawdy and playful tales of foolish monks and cunning wives, illustrated by Becca Thorne and introduced by Peter Ackroyd.

The story of Italy’s first family is one of political cunning, artistic genius, infidelity, execution and revenge. With sumptuous colour illustrations.

Roux handles with both precision and lyricism the primary sources that tell us about the medieval history of one the world’s great cities. This edition features an improved translation and an array of visual material.

In a newly revised edition, Seward’s riveting biography breathes new life into one of English history’s most divisive and infamous figures.

One of the most significant works in English mysticism, and the first known book written in English by a woman.

With only two genuine dates, this irreverent romp is history as every schoolboy would wish it – hilarious and memorable.

Historian Christopher Hill examines the fascinating radical groups that grew up around the English Civil War, and the roots of a revolution that never happened.

A new fully illustrated Folio Society edition of Helen Castor’s She-Wolves: The Women Who Ruled England Before Elizabeth which depicts the lives of four remarkable medieval women: Empress Matilda, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Queen Isabella, Margaret of Anjou. 

From patronage to postcode – Peter Burke reveals how social history shaped Renaissance art in our exquisite edition illustrated with examples of the period’s great works.