The Stripping of the Altars

This prize-winning account of the pre-Reformation church recreates lay peoples experience of religion, showing that late-medieval Catholicism was neither decadent nor decayed, but a strong and vigorous tradition. For this edition, Duffy has written a new introduction reflecting on recent developments in our understanding of the period. A mighty and momentous book: a book to be read and re-read, pondered and revered; a subtle, profound book written with passion and eloquence, and with masterly control.J. J. Scarisbrick, The Tablet Revisionist history at its most imaginative and exciting. . . . [An] astonishing and magnificent piece of work.Edward T. Oakes, Commonweal A magnificent scholarly achievement, a compelling read, and not a page too long to defend a thesis which will provoke passionate debate.Patricia Morison, Financial Times Deeply imaginative, movingly written, and splendidly illustrated.Maurice Keen, New York Review of Books Winner of the Longman-History Today Book of the Year Award