THE WORLD Is NOT ENOUGH (500 pp.) Zoe Oldenbourg Pantheon ($3.75).
In 1171, "when King Louis the Young reigned in France and Henry the Open-handed held Champagne," Alis of Puiseaux, a 14-year-old who knew "all the things a girl of noble blood must know," was married off. Her groom was musclebound, thick-skulled, 16-year-old Ansiau of Linnieres. In the smoky manor of Linnieres, the two families gorged themselves on staggering quantities of meat and wine.
When the sunlight ebbed from the courtyard, "the old master of the house decided that it was time to...
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