This is Meic Stephens' third collection of 41 obituaries, mostly from The Independent newspaper, recalling the lives of recently-deceased (2012-present) people who have made significant contributes to public life in Wales.

A collection of obituaries of eminent Welsh people, first published in The Independent newspaper. Amongst those included are: Stuart Cable, Huw Ceredig, Hywel Teifi Edwards, Owen Edwards, Iris Gower, Ray Gravell, W. J. Gruffydd, J. Geraint Jenkins, Margaret John, T. Llew Jones, Philip Madoc, Eluned Phillips, Aeronwy Thomas, Orig Williams and Stewart Williams.

In 'Gallant Little Wales: Sketches of its people, places and customs' by Jeannette Augustus Marks, readers are taken on a literary journey through the enchanting landscapes of Wales, delving deep into the heart of its people and their traditions. Marks captures the essence of Wales through vivid and descriptive sketches, painting a rich tapestry of the country's unique culture and history. Written in a charming and engaging style, this book provides valuable insights into the literary context of Wales during the time it was written. Marks' attention to detail and emotional depth bring the landscapes and traditions of Wales to life on the pages of this captivating work. Jeannette Augustus Marks, a prominent American author and educator, was deeply fascinated by different cultures and their traditions, which led her to write 'Gallant Little Wales'. Her passion for sharing the beauty of Wales with the world shines through in every page of this book, making it a must-read for those interested in Welsh culture and history. I highly recommend 'Gallant Little Wales' to readers seeking a compelling exploration of the people, places, and customs of this charming country.

Cartwright sheds light on the religious women of medieval Wales. Drawing on a wide range of sources from saints' lives and native poetry to holy wells and visual evidence, she explores feminine sanctity, its meanings, manifestations and related iconography in a specifically Welsh context.

Provocative new investigation into the shadowy figure of Gildas, his influence and representation. Gildas is an essential witness to the Christian culture of the British Isles in the opaque period after the decline and fall of the western Roman empire. His criticisms in De excidio Britanniae of the Britons in the context of spiritual and secular corruption and partition with pagan powers are a crucial source for understanding the transition to the medieval nations of England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. But the ways in which this enigmatic ecclesiastical figure has been received over the centuries have shaped an ambivalent reputation. On the one hand, he is seen as a significant contributor to ecclesiastical reform; on the other, as a dour and unreliable chronicler lamenting an inevitable spiritual and political decline. This book seeks to refine and recuperate the image of Gildas. It does so by examining his self-image as presented in select surviving works, and subsequent representations as developed by the reception of these works - the legacy of Gildas - by church luminaries such as Columbanus, Gregory the Great, and Bede; in exploring how Gildas influenced perceptions of authority in the British Isles and on the continent, it puts this legacy into a wider context. Overall, the volume argues that as one of the earliest authorities to define and defend Christian kingship Gildas deserves to be seen as a significant contributor to the political and ecclesiastical development of the early medieval West.

Mary Magdalene and Her Sister Martha: An Edition and Translation of the Medieval Welsh Lives provides scholarly editions and English translations of the medieval Welsh versions of the legends of Mary Magdalene and Martha. Described by Victor Saxer as medieval best sellers, these hagiographical tales, which described how Mary Magdalene and her sister Martha survived a perilous sea voyage from the holy land and evangelized Provence, were available in many different Latin and vernacular versions and circulated widely in the medieval West. The texts were translated or adapted into Middle Welsh some time before the mid-fourteenth century: the Middle Welsh Life of Mary Magdalene is extant in thirteen manuscripts and the Middle Welsh Life of Martha is preserved in eight of the same manuscripts. Jane Cartwright makes the Middle Welsh versions available to an international audience for the first time and provides a detailed study of the Welsh manuscripts that contain the texts, a comparison between the different manuscripts versions and a discussion of the wider hagiographical context of the texts in Wales. The volume includes transcriptions, editions and translations of the two Lives based on the oldest most complete extant versions found in the Red Book of Talgarth c. 1400, as well as an additional section of text describing Mary Magdalene s life before Christ s crucifixion from the fifteenth-century Aberystwyth, National Library of Wales, Peniarth MS 27ii. The edition is accompanied by a comprehensive glossary which provides translations of all medieval Welsh words that occur in the texts, an analysis of the development and transmission of the legends, as well as a discussion of the relevance and popularity of these two female saints in late medieval Wales: medieval Welsh poetry, church dedications, and holy wells are also considered.

By the author of the acclaimed In Search of Welshness, this book takes an in-depth look at the state of our nation, at Welsh national identity and at what exactly it is that leads to so many Welsh exiles feeling they need to rediscover their roots and eventually return home. It poses questions that Wales's politicians and leaders need to grapple with.

It is the first detailed ethnography of living off grid in an ecovillage. It is a useful detailed case study and readers can draw comparisons with other things they know about. It examines a relatively new and still innovative Welsh planning policy OPD (the policy) has even had some attention from the World Economic Forum. The book is detailed on the policy so potentially useful for policy makers.

This text describes and analyzes the culture of rural Wales through an investigation of the lives of the inhabitants of a parish in the Welsh countryside. An account of the economic life of the people and of the farms and cottages they lived in provides a background for a study of family life, the social significance of blood-ties, the activities of youth, the social intercourse between scattered farms and the interplay between rural neighbourhoods and hamlets. The latter part of the book deals with the role of religion, the social implications of denominationalism, leisure-time activities, the attitude of tenant to landlord, the connection between religion and politics, and the factors affecting social status and prestige.