Rating: 
Summary: An Abridgement of "The Autumn of the Middle Ages"
Review: 1. As the Introduction to "The Autumn of the Middle Ages" makes abundantly clear, "Waning" is an abridgement. Huizinga thought that Americans were too impatient to savor his "Autumn" at length. 2. "Autumn" is available complete in a new translation, ISBN:0226359948. You can review the text here at amazon.com. 3. Huizinga admits that the word "Autumn" indicates that he may have been influenced by certain biologistic theories about cultural decline. My guess is that he alludes to "Der Untergang des Abendlandes" -- "The Decline of the West", Oswald Spengler's gripping, but far-fetched theory of deterministic cycles in cultural history based on little more than using the seasons as a metaphor. 4. Huizinga himself however was no determinist or believer in the tides of history. His clear-eyed anti-Nazi stance made him a top target of Hitler's thugs after the fall of Holland. The elderly humanist scholar, ejected from his university, was kept under house arrest where he died in 1944. 5. Finally, to extend the metaphor of autumn, Huizinga proposed to study a medieval culture, the Burgundian, over-ripe and lingering on a drying vine. Meanwhile the sun of the Renaissance blazed in Italy and the clouds of the West's first true proliteriat brooded over their water-driven looms in Belgium, the Netherlands, and western Germany.
Rating: 
Summary: Chivalry is not dead, it may never have lived!
Review: How many of us can clearly remember specific ideas from the books we read as undergrads in the mad rush of our youth? But in reflective moments I find myself turning over one more time the chief idea discussed in the abridged paperback translation of this work: that Chivalry was an "aesthetical ideal", praised and alluded to everywhere in the European art and politics of the Middle Ages, yet practiced by few. I've learned to see much of the stock language of art, politics, and diplomacy of our own time through the model of the "aesthetical ideal": democracy, peace, and equality fit the concept. A good idea is worth the price of a book...
Rating:
Summary: Chivalry is not dead, it may never have lived!
Review: How many of us can clearly remember specific ideas from the books we read as undergrads in the mad rush of our youth? But in reflective moments I find myself turning over one more time the chief idea discussed in the abridged paperback translation of this work: that Chivalry was an "aesthetical ideal", praised and alluded to everywhere in the European art and politics of the Middle Ages, yet practiced by few. I've learned to see much of the stock language of art, politics, and diplomacy of our own time through the model of the "aesthetical ideal": democracy, peace, and equality fit the concept. A good idea is worth the price of a book...
Rating:
Summary: Intrigued
Review: I first picked this up as a junior in college. It changed my life! It changed how I thought about history and how I thought about writing. Huizinga paints a wonderfully colorful and descriptive picture of the 15th century. Though this could easily be considered my favorite book (if I could only write like the dear professor!), one must be wary of a framework (Hegelian?) through which he interprets his marvelous work of scholarship. The very title belies this. First of all, that he creates such a demarcation of epoque/periodisation, leads one to wonder how he sees the progress of history as a whole. He sees the 15th c. as the end of an era grasping and clinging to old forms. Thus, he (along with Jakob Burckhardt) has tempered our minds to see the Middle Ages as the proverbial "Dark Ages" and the Renaissance literally a rebirth from this darkness. It seems, though, that does not give enough credit to the culture that was alive and well, rather than the bleak, autumnalism (as the title of the recent translation implies) that he portrays. It is a great work, though! His command of the literature and history of the time is astounding, and his style is fresh and intriguing.
Rating:
Summary: classic view of aesthetics and life
Review: I first read this book 25 years ago in college. At the time, it was one of those book I just wanted to get through for a grade, but there were details of it I remembered, such as the common practice of sllicing apples into thirds to represent the Trinity. Well, picking up this book to re-read while living in Europe turned out to be a far greater pleasure than I imagined. Huizinga offers an elegant portrait of an entire era, the Late Middle Ages, in both visual and intellectual detail. You learn about codes of honor, the different ways in which life was perceived, and the practices of love. It is beautifully written and vivid. There are limitation to the approach, of course. It is not about economics or living standards. It does not function as a survey, and hence the reader must have solid knowledge of medieval history before starting the book. You will have to get these elsewhere. But if you come to this book with the right expectations, it is fascinating and wonderful from cover to cover. Warmly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: classic view of aesthetics and life
Review: I first read this book 25 years ago in college. At the time, it was one of those book I just wanted to get through for a grade, but there were details of it I remembered, such as the common practice of sllicing apples into thirds to represent the Trinity. Well, picking up this book to re-read while living in Europe turned out to be a far greater pleasure than I imagined. Huizinga offers an elegant portrait of an entire era, the Late Middle Ages, in both visual and intellectual detail. You learn about codes of honor, the different ways in which life was perceived, and the practices of love. It is beautifully written and vivid. There are limitation to the approach, of course. It is not about economics or living standards. It does not function as a survey, and hence the reader must have solid knowledge of medieval history before starting the book. You will have to get these elsewhere. But if you come to this book with the right expectations, it is fascinating and wonderful from cover to cover. Warmly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Most Memorable Books I Have Read
Review: It has been over 30 years since I first was enchanted by this book. I have read it at least twice since then and it is never far from my thoughts. The observations about the 15th Century that Huizinga made over 70 years ago have an immediacy to the world that we live in today. When the phenomenon of Madonna and her secular and semi-sacreligious use of Catholic imagery burst on the scene, I immediately recalled Huizinga (though it was maybe 15 years since I had read the book). This book along with Erich Auerbach's Mimesis are giants of the 20th Century's understanding of the past. Any educated person should be familiar with this book.
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Summary: GET THIS BOOK BACK INTO PRINT
Review: It's a shame that such an important and exquisitely written study such as this should be allowed to go out of print.WOTMA was an intergral part of my understanding the Middle Ages and is an engaging read. A must have!PLEASE REPRINT IT FOR CURRENT AND FUTURE STUDENTS!!!
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful book...it MUST be put into print again!!
Review: This book deserves more than 5 stars. I can't believe it out of print! It must be because of the new and rather sterile translation: the Autumn of the Middle Ages. The new translation leaves me cold. The Waning of the Middle Ages made a very deep impression on me in college. It is one of the few books that I have read completely through twice (not simply read portions of later)...I will refer back to it for the rest of my life. It is a splended fusion of literature and historical vision. Everyone I know who studied any medieval history was asigned this work and loves it still. Everyone remembers the openning phrase, "When the world was half a thousand years younger..." Today's students should be able to obtain this marvelous gem.
Rating:
Summary: A change to understand the Middle Ages
Review: This is a very helpful book, especially for people who are looking for accurate historical analysis. ALthough written in the beginning of the XX century, it shares a lot of the spirit of what was called 'cultural history'. The author reveals how the people on the late Middle Age (i.e. century XIV) feel, how they see the cavalry rules and habits, what's the place of religion, how art was important for creating a common culture... And, besides all that, he helps us understand that Renassaince didn't come out of nowhere, but brings a lot of medieval thought with it. A fantastic book!
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