There is no better, or more accessible on the medieval tournament available. Growing out of Juliet Barker's earlier Tournament in England, 1100-1400, this volume adds a rich corpus of color illustrations needed to convey the character of a medieval tournament.

Like Ms. Barker's earlier work, this one is exacting in its scholarship and yet comprehensively covers various forms of the medieval hastilude as it progressed from the 11th century through the 17th. Each change is placed in a historical and literary context, copiously illustrated, and footnoted sufficiently to suggest further research along many interesting avenues.

Given the low price of this work, I cannot recommend it highly enough. It was originally published in 1988, enjoyed reasonable success, but has been out of print (though not impossible to find) for many years. For anyone interested in the medieval tournament, it should not only be acquired for its fine illustrations but should be carefully read as well. This is most assuredly not a coffee-table book, though its oversize presentation is just as rich.

TOURNAMENTS: Jousts, Chivalry & Pageants in the Middle Ages
Richard Barber & Juliet Barker
Weidenfeld & Nicholson
Oversize hardcover
ISBN  #0851157815
$29.95

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