{"title":"Iris Origo","description":"\u003cp\u003eWelcome to the captivating world of Iris Origo, an esteemed author who offers a profound glimpse into historical narratives through her meticulously researched and beautifully crafted works. Her writings not only illuminate the past but also bring to life the human experiences entwined within it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAmong her noteworthy works is \u003cem\u003eA Chill in the Air\u003c\/em\u003e, a poignant diary that chronicles the tense atmosphere in Italy on the brink of the Second World War. This evocative account provides a unique perspective on how everyday life persisted amid growing uncertainties.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn \u003cem\u003eThe Merchant of Prato\u003c\/em\u003e, Origo presents a fascinating biography of a 14th-century Tuscan merchant. Through rich details and engaging storytelling, she reconstructs the vibrant tapestry of medieval trade and society, offering readers an enlightening journey into an era marked by its own challenges and triumphs.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eWar in Val d'Orcia\u003c\/em\u003e is another compelling memoir by Origo, depicting the resilience and courage of ordinary people during the wartime ravages on her Tuscan estate. This heartening account is a testament to the spirit of humanity amidst turmoil, expertly capturing the trials of life during conflict.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIris Origo's books intricately weave together history and personal memoir, providing an immersive experience for those who delve into them. Her unparalleled ability to transport readers to different times and places makes her collection a valuable addition for enthusiasts of History \u0026amp; Military, as well as Biography \u0026amp; Memoir.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"the-merchant-of-prato-by-iris-origo-9780241293928","title":"The Merchant of Prato","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIris Origo's most famous book, her classic study of the life and times of a medieval Italian merchant.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn 1870, an astonishing cache, containing some 150,000 letters and great numbers of business documents, came to light. Iris Origo drew on this material to paint, in detail, a picture of Italian domestic life on the eve of the Renaissance.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFrancesco di Marco Datini, the 14th-century Tuscan merchant who forms the central subject of Iris Origo's study, has now probably become the most intimately accessible figure of the later Middle Ages. \u003cem\u003eThe Merchant of Prato\u003c\/em\u003e is rightly celebrated as one of the most engrossing of all modern books on Italian life and history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46250134241516,"sku":"9780241293928","price":30.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780241293928.jpg?v=1741537827"},{"product_id":"war-in-val-dorcia-by-iris-origo-9781782272656","title":"War in Val d'Orcia","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eWar in Val d'Orcia\u003c\/em\u003e is the elegantly simple chronicle of daily life at La Foce, a manor in a Tuscan no-man's land bracketed by foreign invasion and civil war.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWriting with simplicity and grace, Iris Origo describes how she and her husband managed to help refugee children from Genoa and Turin, hide escaped Allied prisoners of war, and stand up to the Germans, who occupied La Foce in 1944 and forced the Origos to retreat under a hot June sun.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIt is a story of confusion and bewilderment as a peasant society is confronted by disaster and, in the space of a few months, a whole way of life is changed beyond recognition. It is also a story of tragedy and suffering, of individual courage, generosity, and heroism.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46522964869356,"sku":"9781782272656","price":30.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/15427183482822.jpg?v=1749046368"},{"product_id":"a-chill-in-the-air-by-iris-origo-9781782273578","title":"A Chill in the Air","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIris Origo, one of the twentieth century's great diarists, was born in England in 1902. As a child, she moved between England, Ireland, Italy, and America, never quite belonging anywhere. It was only when she married an Italian man that she came to rest in one country. Fifteen years later, that country would be at war with her own.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWith piercing insight, Origo documents the grim absurdities that her adopted Italy underwent as war became more and more unavoidable. Connected to everyone, from the peasants on her estate to the US ambassador, she writes of the turmoil, the danger, and the dreadful bleakness of Italy in 1939-1940.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003ePublished for the first time in paperback, \u003ci\u003eA Chill in the Air\u003c\/i\u003e is the account of the awful inevitability of Italy's stumble into a conflict for which its people were ill-prepared.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWith an introduction by Lucy Hughes-Hallett, the award-winning author of \u003ci\u003eThe Pike\u003c\/i\u003e, and an afterword by Katia Lysy, granddaughter of Iris Origo, this is the gripping precursor to Origo's bestselling classic diary \u003ci\u003eWar in Val d'Orcia\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46541609435372,"sku":"9781782273578","price":26.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/15436403482822.jpg?v=1749682479"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.live\/collections\/iris-origo.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}