Appeared in Print

 My second book, "The Enchanting Encounter with the East," has appeared in print and was published by AuthorHouse UK. I feel elevated and relieved. I hope I have improved the content through careful editorship, and my readers will enjoy traveling across the pages.

My book is set in the European Middle Ages, and its main characters are Latin scholars who had imagined the lands and people of the Far East long before they set off to visit them. 

There are four main topics that I focused on while writing. The first one is geography: how come that geography being of trivial importance for Latin academics, had gained traction and invited travel? 

The second one is history. Who were the horrible Tartars who had nearly conquered western Europe in 1241-1242, where did they spring up, and what would they do next? 

The third one is mythology. I picked up two medieval legends: Alexander Barrier and Prester John. I researched the development of these tall tales and showed how they were incorporated into history, for good or bad. 

The fourth one is ethnography. European travelers visited Mongolia, India, and China. What did they learn about the Far East, with its fascinating sights and sounds? What did they carry on from this beautiful encounter?

The circle of the readers of this blog has broadened and hit 6 K viewers. I can't think of a better gift for you all than sending you to my site, https://independent.academia.edu/BaizermanMichael, where you can find most chapters of my second book. I will continue uploading other chapters except for conclusions. 

In my third project, I have reached the stage where I can arrange my notes for the first part of Chapter 2, The Slender Giants of the Wine-Dark Sea. In this part, I deal with light galleys. I continue researching adjacent topics, such as horse transport galleys and the warships' life expectancy. I must also study the other seven files I have collected about battle galleys. 

I have read a fascinating book recently: J. Marteilhe, Galley Slave. (Barnsley: Seaforth Publishing, 2010). These are memoirs of a former galley slave, a French Huguenot, who was sent to French galleys for his ill-favored attempt to escape from his homeland, where his religion was not tolerated. He served many years on galleys of Dunkirk and those of Marseille. What struck me was that such injustice and ignorance were widespread in France even at the beginning of the 18th century.