The light ages

"An illuminating guide to the scientific and technological achievements of the Middle Ages through the life of a crusading astronomer-monk . . . [the author] takes us on an immersive tour of medieval science through the story of one fourteenth-century monk, John of Westwyk. From multiplying Roman numerals to navigating by the stars, curing disease, and telling time with an ancient astrolabe, we learn emerging science alongside Westwyk, while following the gripping story of the struggles and successes of an ordinary man in a precarious world. An enlightening history that argues that these times weren't so dark after all, . . . shows how medieval ideas continue to color how we see the world today"--Provided by publisher.