- Published: 28 November 2013
- ISBN: 9781446426647
- Imprint: Vintage Digital
- Format: EBook
- Pages: 288
The Mercurial Emperor
The Magic Circle of Rudolf II in Renaissance Prague
- Published: 28 November 2013
- ISBN: 9781446426647
- Imprint: Vintage Digital
- Format: EBook
- Pages: 288
A sympathetic biography of this strange, intelligent aesthete-philosopher... a tragic as well as a fascinating figure
Alan Massie, Literary Review
A very readable history... Marshall rightly argues, as an enabler of scientific, artistic and mystical insight, Rudolf has no peer
Gary Lachman, Independent on Sunday
An entertaining description of life at the heart of a Europe stained by the clash of new and old ideas... an enjoyable description of what was an extraordinary epoch
Greg Neale, BBC History Magazine
An insightful and perceptive record of a city that revolutionised culture and science
Prediction
Fascinating
David V Barrett, Independent
In this sparkling history, Peter Marshall assembles a cast of characters from the medieval world, their wit and wisdom an arresting case for the significance of their time...[a] generous and attentive recollection of voices too often silenced
Rowland Manthorpe, Observer
It was a magical moment in the history of Western civilization, when anything was possible. Mr Marshall brings it all wonderfully to life
Stuart Ferguson, Wall Street Journal
Peter Marshall's excellent biography portrays the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II as a pivotal figure in the transition from the medieval worldview to our modern scientific outlook... Marshall succeeds brilliantly in capturing both the spirit of the age in which Rudolf lived and the complex character of the man he describes as "one of the last magi"
P.D. Smith, Guardian
The pleasure of this book for me, in addition to such stimulating details, is that the Holy Roman Empire on the cusp of the 17th century is terra incognita, to be approached with a fresh eye... Rudoph's tolerance deserves a wider audience in our fractious age
Chris Frew, Scotland on Sunday
The story of Rudolf's life is a compelling one... Marshall, an accomplished elucidator of the occult, would appear to be the ideal guide to this golden age of intellectual exchange...an admirable and fascinating book
Alex Butterworth, Observer
You could do a lot worse than to pack this book in your suitcase when you're visiting the city. His lucid prose and clear exposition will help you to decipher a good bit of Prague's labyrinth, and to explain in part why the capital of one of the less important European countries is one of the great cities of the world
Justin Quinn, Irish Times