New Books in Medieval History

New Books Network

Medieval History

Medieval Literature

Crusades

Christianity

Middle Ages

Magic

Holy Roman Empire

Astrology

Byzantine Empire

Norman Conquest

Poetry

Jesus

Translation

Dante Alighieri

Theology

Bede

Buddhism

Teutonic Order

Maimonides

Mongol Invasions

This podcast is a channel on the New Books Network. The New Books Network is an academic audio library dedicated to public education. In each episode you will hear scholars discuss their recently published research with another expert in their field. Discover our 150+ channels and browse our 28,000+ episodes on our website: newbooksnetwork.com Subscribe to our free weekly Substack newsletter to ge... more

24 ratings

Publishes	Twice weekly	Episodes	595	Founded	5 years ago
Number of Listeners		Category	History

Listen to this Podcast

Guests Host Charts Talking Points

Latest Episodes

Kit Chapman, "The Age of Alchemy: How Early Innovators Shaped Modern Chemistry" (Profile Books, 2026)

The first chemists were Sri Lankan forgers who crafted

unimaginably strong steel millennia before it should have been

possible. They were alchemists in Roman Egypt, who designed apparatus

still in use today. They were Stone Age leatherworkers, ... more

9 Jul 2026 • 1 hr 18 min

Roberta J. Magnusson, "Urban Infrastructure in Medieval England: Sustainability and Resilience" (Johns Hopkins UP, 2026)

the bustling market towns and growing cities of medieval England

between 1200 and 1600, public works were the lifelines of urban society.

In Urban Infrastructure in Medieval England: Sustainability and Resilience (Johns Hopkins University Press... more

8 Jul 2026 • 1 hr 10 min

Peter Paul Dobek, "The Public House in Central Europe: Inns, Tavern, and Alehouses in Cracow during the Jagiellonian Dynasty" (Lexington Books, 2024)

In his new book The Public House in Central Europe: Inns, Tavern, and Alehouses in Cracow during the Jagiellonian Dynasty (Lexington Books, 2024), Peter Dobek takes us into the daily life of the medieval tavern in fifteenth- and sixteenth-century Cr... more

20 Jun 2026 • 58 min • Most popular

Karl Whittington, "Queer Making: On Artists and Desire in Medieval Europe" (Pennsylvania State UP, 2025)

Karl Whittington joins Jana Byars to talk about his new book, Queer Making: On Artists and Desire in Medieval Europe (Pennsylvania State University Press,

2025). What role does desire play in the making of art objects? Art

historians typically answ... more

15 Jun 2026 • 1 hr 26 min

Key Facts

Accepts Guests

Accepts Sponsors

Contact Information

Podcast Host

Number of Listeners

Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

Similar Podcasts

People also subscribe to these shows.

The Medieval PodcastDanièle Cybulskie

HistoryExtra podcastImmediate

The AncientsHistory Hit

In Our TimeBBC Radio 4

Gone MedievalHistory Hit

Recent Guests

Peter Dobek

Scholar of Medieval Europe, focus on Public Houses, Inns, Taverns, and Ale Houses in Kraków

Western Michigan University (PhD 2019)

Episode: Peter Paul Dobek, "The Public House in Central Europe: Inns, Tavern, and Alehouses in Cracow during the Jagiellonian Dynasty" (Lexington Books, 2024)

Karl Whittington

Professor and Chair of Art History at The Ohio State University

The Ohio State University

Episode: Karl Whittington, "Queer Making: On Artists and Desire in Medieval Europe" (Pennsylvania State UP, 2025)

Stephen Hopkins

Author of Translating Hell, Vernacular Theology and Apocrypha in the Medieval North Sea

Manchester University Press

Episode: Stephen C.E. Hopkins, "⁠Translating hell: Vernacular theology and apocrypha in the medieval North Sea"⁠ (Manchester UP, 2026)

Bruno M. Shirley

Historian of religion, gender and politics in early 2nd millennium Sri Lanka and beyond

Heidelberg University

Episode: Bruno Shirley, "Religion, Gender, and Politics in Medieval Sri Lanka: The Reconstruction of Buddhist Kingship, ca. 1070-1215" (ARC Humanities Press, 2026)

Dougald O'Reilly

Professor of Archaeology, Australian National University

Australian National University

Episode: Dougald O’Reilly, "Empires of the Southern Ocean: Early Civilizations of Mainland and Insular Southeast Asia" (Bloomsbury Academic, 2026)

Frances Kneupper

Medieval historian, professor of history with a focus on spirituality, power, and the history of women

Episode: Frances Kneupper, "Prophecy and the Battle for Spiritual Authority, 1360–1400" (Oxford UP, 2025)

Matthieu Felt

Author, Meanings of Antiquity, Myth Interpretation in Premodern Japan

University of Florida

Episode: Matthieu Felt, "Meanings of Antiquity: Myth Interpretation in Premodern Japan" (Harvard UP, 2023)

Michelle Brown

Professor Emerita of Medieval Manuscript Studies

School of Advanced Study, University of London

Episode: Michelle P. Brown, "Illumino: A History of Medieval Britain in Twelve Illuminated Manuscripts" (Reaktion, 2025)

Vance Smith

Professor of English and former Director of Medieval Studies at Princeton University

Princeton University

Episode: D. Vance Smith, "Atlas’s Bones: The African Foundations of Europe" (U Chicago Press, 2025)

Host

Miranda Melcher

Host of The New Books Network interview series

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts

#233

Denmark/History

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Bruno Shirley, "Religion, Gender, and Politics in Medieval Sri Lanka: The Reconstruction of Buddhist Kingship, ca. 1070-1215" (ARC Humanities Press, 2026)

Q: What makes the polemical revision of the Polynadu period necessary, and what sources anchor it?

He argues that relying on later texts like the Mahavangsha risks misunderstanding the period; instead, inscriptions and epigraphic records from the Polynadu era provide a more contemporary and nuanced picture of kingship, gender, and religious practice.

Dougald O’Reilly, "Empires of the Southern Ocean: Early Civilizations of Mainland and Insular Southeast Asia" (Bloomsbury Academic, 2026)

Q: How did the transformation from chiefdoms to states unfold across the region?

He explains that globalization and long-distance trade, along with environmental and political pressures, facilitated a shift from chiefly organized polities to more centralized state-like entities, with Angkor representing a milestone as a true mainland state.

Dougald O’Reilly, "Empires of the Southern Ocean: Early Civilizations of Mainland and Insular Southeast Asia" (Bloomsbury Academic, 2026)

Q: Can you tell us about the earliest civilizations in that part of Southeast Asia?

Dougald outlines Myanmar's Pew and Devaravati as early complex polities, discusses their urban features and the spread of Indian influence, and emphasizes how initial centers were often complex chiefdoms with evolving political structures.

Michelle P. Brown, "Illumino: A History of Medieval Britain in Twelve Illuminated Manuscripts" (Reaktion, 2025)

Q: How does looking at the history of England through these manuscripts change what we can learn?

By examining the books as material objects—their production, decoration, and use—we see how information traveled, how women participated as patrons and makers, and how manuscript culture intersected with religion, commerce, and politics across borders.

Michelle P. Brown, "Illumino: A History of Medieval Britain in Twelve Illuminated Manuscripts" (Reaktion, 2025)

Q: Can you just very briefly introduce yourself, tell us about your expertise, and tell us the story of this book?

I'm Michelle Brown, Professor Emerita of Medieval Manuscript Studies, and the book Illumino uses illuminated manuscripts as entry points to explore broader social histories, focusing on makers, patrons, and the culture around book production across medieval Britain.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About New Books in Medieval History

What is New Books in Medieval History about and what kind of topics does it cover?

Historically oriented conversations centered on recently published scholarly works in medieval studies, with a strong emphasis on primary sources, material culture, and cross-cultural networks. Episodes frequently explore manuscript production and reception, African-European exchanges, religious and social practices, and the history of everyday life across Europe, the Mediterranean, and the Islamic world. Guests are often professors, researchers, and authors from prestigious universities and presses, who bring deep disciplinary expertise and a readiness to connect archival detail to broader historical narratives. A notable strength is the breadth of methods on display—textual criticism, material culture analysis, and interdisciplinary appro... more

Where can I find podcast stats for New Books in Medieval History?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for New Books in Medieval History. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to New Books in Medieval History and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does New Books in Medieval History get?

Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for three million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for New Books in Medieval History, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.

What are the audience demographics for New Books in Medieval History?

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for New Books in Medieval History, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.

How many subscribers and views does New Books in Medieval History have?

To see how many followers or subscribers New Books in Medieval History has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to New Books in Medieval History?

These podcasts share a similar audience with New Books in Medieval History:

1. The Medieval Podcast
2. HistoryExtra podcast
3. The Ancients
4. In Our Time
5. Gone Medieval

How many episodes of New Books in Medieval History are there?

New Books in Medieval History launched 5 years ago and published 595 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact New Books in Medieval History?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for New Books in Medieval History?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for New Books in Medieval History from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.

How do I access podcast episode transcripts for New Books in Medieval History?

Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of New Books in Medieval History. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.

What guests have appeared on New Books in Medieval History?

Recent guests on New Books in Medieval History include:

1. Peter Dobek
2. Karl Whittington
3. Stephen Hopkins
4. Bruno M. Shirley
5. Dougald O'Reilly
6. Frances Kneupper
7. Matthieu Felt
8. Michelle Brown

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

Find and pitch the right podcasts

We help savvy brands, marketers and PR professionals to find the right podcasts for any topic or niche. Get the data and contacts you need to pitch podcasts at scale and turn listeners into customers.

Try it free for 7 days