Skip to content

The Book of Margery Kempe
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

The Book of Margery Kempe Paperback - 1998

by Kempe, Margery B

  • New

The autobiography of English mystic Margery Kempe (ca. 1373 to ca. 1440), oneof the most fascinating works in literary history, is available for the firsttime in a modern and lively translation.

Description

Image. New. Special order direct from the distributor
New
NZ$31.58
NZ$24.92 Shipping to USA
Standard delivery: 6 to 12 days
More Shipping Options
Ships from Russell Books Ltd (British Columbia, Canada)

Details

  • Title The Book of Margery Kempe
  • Author Kempe, Margery B
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition First Edition
  • Condition New
  • Pages 352
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Image, New York
  • Date 1998-05-18
  • Bookseller's Inventory # ING9780385490375
  • ISBN 9780385490375 / 0385490372
  • Weight 1.05 lbs (0.48 kg)
  • Dimensions 8.15 x 5.53 x 0.92 in (20.70 x 14.05 x 2.34 cm)
  • Themes
    • Chronological Period: Medieval (500-1453) Studies
    • Religious Orientation: Christian
    • Sex & Gender: Feminine
    • Theometrics: Catholic
  • Library of Congress subjects Kempe, Margery, Authors, English - Middle English, 1100-1500
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 97037659
  • Dewey Decimal Code B

About Russell Books Ltd British Columbia, Canada

Biblio member since 2006
Seller rating: This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.

Family owned and operated since 1961. Located in Downtown Victoria selling new, used, and remainder titles in all categories. We also have an extensive selection of Journals, cards and calendars.

Terms of Sale: For further information - (250) 361-4447 (GST applied to all Canadian orders). Shipping prices are based on books weighing 2.2 LB, or 1 KG. Canadian and U.S. orders sent with Automated Package Tracking and delivery confirmation, where available. If your book order is heavy or over-sized, we may contact you regarding any extra shipping costs.

Browse books from Russell Books Ltd

From the publisher

John Skinner began his career as a Jesuit. Leaving before ordination, he then became a journalist with The Times (London) before setting up his own children's bookselling company. He now writes full-time, specialising in the English mystics and in translating the spiritual classics across the centuries. His works include Julian of Norwich's Revelation of Love and The Confession of Saint Patrick, both of which have recently been published by Image Books. He lives with his wife, Judith, in Devon, England, where he is at work on a forthcoming collection of monastic writings.

From the jacket flap

Though a familiar name, little was known about the English mystic Margery Kempe (c. 1373-c. 1440) for hundreds of years except that she had an association with the great Julian of Norwich. This all changed in 1934 with the discovery of "The Book of Margery Kempe in a library where it had lain hidden for four hundred years. Finding Margery's own story was important not just because of the light it shed on her life, but it also turned out to be the first known autobiography in the English language. Even more intriguing to the experts of the day, this unique document was written by a woman.
But if anyone had expected to find her anything like her cloistered contemporary, Julian, they were in for something of a surprise. Far from being a typical holy woman, Margery Kempe was married and mother of fourteen children. Moreover, she had been a woman of substance, even running a large brewery for a time. After turning to religion, she traveled thousands of miles around the known world on pilgrimages to distant lands.
Beyond the circumstances of her life, what's most compelling about the text is the inner Margery that emerges. Her account of spiritual awakening, far from being a blissful episode is instead full of conflict and recrimination. What good was this new way of life if it caused her such trouble? Was this really the only way to lead a holy life? Margery remained unsure of the answers. But her patience in her struggle is a wonder to behold, and an example for us today.

Media reviews

Citations

  • Library Journal, 07/01/1998, Page 96

About the author

John Skinner began his career as a Jesuit. Leaving before ordination, he then became a journalist with The Times (London) before setting up his own children's bookselling company. He now writes full-time, specialising in the English mystics and in translating the spiritual classics across the centuries. His works include Julian of Norwich's Revelation of Love and The Confession of Saint Patrick, both of which have recently been published by Image Books. He lives with his wife, Judith, in Devon, England, where he is at work on a forthcoming collection of monastic writings.