Michael Baizerman Author

  I  assessed the material and transformed all Bits & Pieces into one file. I labeled all the scraps and wrote a list of labels to make them functional.  Despite many distractions, I continued developing the storyline about the light galleys. I started sowing my Bits and Pieces together to make long sheets. Indeed, there are so many topics that they will cover the whole chapter or even two chapters. The main themes, as I see them now, are:  the galley layout,  the function of the fleets,  naval bases,  the  geopolitics of blue-water powers.     My latest reading on the subject is  Matthew King, The Norman Kingdom of Africa and the Medieval Mediterranean. (THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA, 2018). This dissertation has enriched my  understanding of the geopolitical vision of the kingdom of Sicily, especially Roger II, who expanded his territory to include south Italy and Ifriqiya, a coastal strip in North Africa. He aimed to ...

  The following is an update of my work on a new chapter.  Due to all sorts of distractions, I continue assessing the data on light galleys. The good news is that I will finish the evaluation soon. I skip the material concerning other matters and concentrate all my findings in a single file for further consideration. I also decided to make an exclusive vocabulary in this chapter to facilitate possible corrections.  I still have reservations about the scope of the material. Most of the things I collect cite the same facts in a new manner. I will decide later which version is preferable or will make a mix. I may save some of these repetitions for the concluding section of my paper. I will also reduce citations. Sometimes, I can paraphrase the idea since the original one is not so bright (at least, in English translation). In other cases, I will look for an original citation instead of citing secondary sources.  At this stage, I also check the value of some facts. For e...

 I began to estimate the collected material on light galleys, the ultimate warships of the medieval Mediterranean. In truth, many articles I picked concern other subjects, and I will retain them for the future. There are a lot of corrections and additional notes; some of them refer to Chapter 1. The previous chapter studies the main differences between galleys and round ships. While reading each file, I write "bits and pieces," even on familiar topics. That allows me to reconsider some paragraphs and add valuable data. I watch the growth of additional branches of the main issue and sometimes research them to realize if I can propose new developments to my storyline.   I am a little worried about the scope of my project. Chapter 1, designed as an introduction, grew very large, whereas Chapter 2 appears to be enormous. I wonder what I will do with this monster to make it readable. I can relentlessly cut the material, though I will lose essential facts.  I hope that I w...

  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 th...

I have just started a discussion on my latest paper  https://www.academia.edu/82514995/The_Mysterious_Letter This chapter from my book, "The Enchanting Encounter with the East," continues the exploration of the popular character (Prester John) and his impact on multiple fans worldwide. I invite you to take part in the debates.  In the abstract, I wrote: " The mysterious letter penned by the elusive potentate, Prester John, became the talk of several European royal courts. The writer invited heads of state to visit his fascinating country abounding with marvels and wonders. The audience was divided between enchantment and skepticism, leaving nobody lukewarm".  Meanwhile, I devoted much time to developing my current topic: the evolution of war galleys in the medieval and renaissance Mediterranean. I think I have found a reference point, the Byzantine fleet, especially its ebb and flow between the sixth and the eleventh centuries.    The rise of the Italian fleets...

  A model of a sixteenth-century Maltese galley https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galley  This is the title of the second chapter of my new manuscript. To put it simply, it is about war galleys in the Mediterranean. I have entered the stage of assessing and developing data. It will take a long time, and I will probably write several blog entries concerning this topic. Why does it take so long? The chapter will have at least four divisions: light galleys, the monster galley, the intricacies of naval warfare, and the shipborne artillery. For each section, I need to read the collected data, decide on its relevance, and write what I call "scraps," i.e., a memorable phrase, sentence, or a paragraph attached to that piece of info. I also need to check the details. For example, one source says that Ottoman shipwrights produced inferior galleys because they used "green" timber (unseasoned wood). An extraordinary claim that may need an additional quest. What was wrong with the O...

The galley proof reviewing is over.   Arduous work, I must tell, that squeezes the brain almost to the boiling point. There are some last-minute changes that I want to include. I also reviewed 44 illustrations and changed those not in the public domain. I got several permissions, but it was not easy. Not everybody replied to my letters; sometimes, the correspondents wanted money for their consent.  Meanwhile, I uploaded another chapter, The Shadow Crusader: Otto of Freising.  https://www.academia.edu/79701738/The_Shadow_Crusader_Otto_of_Freising The advent of Prester John in official history, with a German chronicler Otto von Freising acting as the ruler's "godfather." The chapter describes the contradicting nature of the literary character. My audience has grown to 7 K readers, and when I complete uploading the remaining chapters from my second book, it may reach 8 K. These good tidings prompted me to continue my quest for a literary agent. I need a mediator who can...