A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century

Name: A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century
Price: 1.99 USD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.6 (2992 reviews)
Author: Barbara Wertheim Tuchman

by Barbara Wertheim Tuchman

Nonfiction

4.6 (2,992)

4.6 stars from 2,992 reviews. Top 70% of Nonfiction books we track.

691 pages~11.5 hr readPublished by Penguin Putnam~tradePublished 1600-01-01

$1.9988% off peak

Last checked: Jun 24, 2026

Price history: $1.99 – $15.99

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Price range: $1.99 – $15.99

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Perfect for you if...

You enjoy history that reads like a novel, with vivid characters and intimate details rather than just dates and battles.
You want to understand how ordinary people experienced extraordinary historical upheaval, not just the official narrative.
You appreciate meticulous scholarship delivered in elegant prose, where the research never feels like homework.

Maybe not for you if...

You prefer quick summaries or lightweight history books. This is 700 pages of deep, textured narrative that demands your full attention.
You're looking for a specific regional focus. Tuchman ranges across medieval Europe, so you might want something more narrowly tailored.
You find medieval life and medieval concerns tedious. If castles and cathedrals don't interest you, this won't change your mind.

About this book

A history of medieval Europe in the fourteenth century, examining the bubonic plague, the Papal Schism, and the Hundred Years' War. The period presents two contrasting images: a glittering age of crusades, cathedrals, and chivalry alongside a world marked by chaos and spiritual agony. Barbara W. Tuchman explores both the major historical movements and the details of everyday life—childhood, marriage, money, taxes, and warfare as experienced by serfs, nobles, and clergy. She portrays the lives of cardinals, university scholars, grocers, clerks, saints, mystics, lawyers, mercenaries, and knights, depicting them with their loyalties, treacheries, and passions. This edition does not include color images.

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Price History

Kindle price over time. Green zones = periods when the book was free.

$1.99 – $15.99

Currently on sale at $1.99 — 88% off peak. Price has dropped 23 times over the last 6 years. Goes on sale roughly every 101 days. Typically stays discounted for 8 days.

Sales Rank

Amazon sales rank: lower number = better selling book. #1 is the bestseller.

Currently #1,941 in the Kindle store — a top-10K bestseller. Climbing the charts — 42% improvement recently.

Rating & Reviews

Purple line = star rating over time. Blue area = total review count growth.

Currently 4.6★ from 2,992 reviews

Gaining approximately 17 new reviews per month. Rating has remained stable at 4.6 over the tracking period.

Sale Prediction

Actual Predicted

This book is currently discounted at $1.99. It typically returns to around $15.99.

Prices shown in USD from Amazon US. We continuously pull new data to improve tracking. If dates look old, it usually means there has been no significant change since the last data point.

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