To what extent does our knowledge of the past rely upon written sources? And what happens when
these sources are destroyed? Focusing on the manuscripts of the Middle Ages History in Flames
explores cases in which large volumes of written material were destroyed during a single day.
This destruction didn't occur by accident of fire or flood but by human forces such as arson
shelling and bombing. This book examines the political and military events that preceded the
moment of destruction from the Franco-Prussian War and the Irish Civil War to the complexities
of World War II it analyses the material lost and how it came to be where it was. At the same
time it discusses the heroic efforts made by scholars and archivists to preserve these
manuscripts even partially. History in Flames reminds us that historical knowledge rests on
material remains and that these remains are vulnerable.
