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Peter Jones, Ph.D.


Department of History

Education

  • Ph.D. History, New York University
  • M.A. History, New York University
  • M.A. History, University of Bristol
  • B.A. History, University of Bristol

Publications and Media Placements

Books

Self-Help from the Middle Ages: A Journey Into the Medieval Mind (London: Penguin Random House / Hutchison Heinemann / New York: Penguin Random House / Doubleday, 2026). Translations forthcoming in Spanish [Reservoir Books], German [Insel / Verlag], and Dutch [Balans], as well as in Russian, Romanian, and Turkish.

Laughter & Power in the Twelfth Century (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2019).

Academic Articles

"Rome among the Italian Communes of the Twelfth Century: The Black Sheep of the Family?" in Pequena Cidades No Tempo: As Redes Urbanas, edited by Fabián Cuesta-Gómez et al. (Lisbon: Instituto de Estudos Medievais, 2025), pp. 77-100.

"Is Paradise a Democracy? The Heavenly City as Political Paradigm, c.1145-55," Past & Present 243: 1 (2024), pp. 47-80.

"Disruptive History: Reflections from a Siberian Interdisciplinary Research Lab," Studia Universitatis Babeş-Bolyai Historia, 70: Special Issue 1 (2025), pp. 198-218.

"Bernard, Killjoy? Humourlessness in Medieval Monasteries," in Medieval Humour: Expressions, Receptions and Functions, edited by Kleio Pethainou (Budapest: Trivent, 2023), ch.2.

"Humour & Humourlessness at the Court of Henry II," in Gouverner l'Empire Plantagenêt (1152–1224): Autorité, symbols, ideologies, edited by Martin Aurell (Nantes: Éditions 303, 2021), pp. 84-101.

"Bones, Fire, and Falcons: Loving Things in Medieval Europe," Journal of Material Culture, 26: 4 (2021), pp.433-450.

"Laughing with Sacred Things, c.1100-1350: A History in Four Objects," Church History, 89: 4 (2020), pp. 759-778.

"Humour at the Fourth Lateran Council," in Literary Echoes of the Fourth Lateran Council, edited by Maureen Boulton (Toronto: Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies Press, 2019), pp. 133-155.

"Humility & Humiliation: The Transformation of Franciscan Humour, c.1210-1310," Cultural and Social History, 15: 2 (2018), pp.155-175.

"Gerald of Wales' Sense of Humour," in Gerald of Wales: New Perspectives on a Medieval Writer and Critic, ed. Georgia Henley and Joey McMullen (Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 2017), pp.202-226.

"Preaching Laughter in the Thirteenth Century: The exempla of Arnold of Liège (d.c.1308) and his Dominican Milieu." Journal of Medieval History, 41: 2 (2015), pp.169-183.

Articles in Media

"Can Procrastination Be Good for Us?" The Guardian. April 4, 2026.

"I'm a Coffee Snob. And I'm Going to Hell." The Daily Telegraph. March 28, 2026.

"The Seven Deadly Sins: A Medieval Self-Help Guide." BBC History Magazine. May 2026.

"History at Minus 25: What Happens When You Follow Your Dream Job to Siberia?" AppleNews / History Extra. May 2026.

Media Appearances

BBC Radio 2, the Jeremy Vine Show. Live interview. April 2, 2026

BBC Radio London. Live interview. April 19, 2026.

12News Phoenix. Live interview. April 14, 2026.

Podcast appearances in 2026: History Hit with Dan Snow; BBC History Podcast: Life Lessons; The How To Academy Podcast; Rock Paper Swords; The Curious Man Podcast; The Laughter Effect; History Unplugged; History Shorts; The Medieval Podcast; Wellness Together / This Helps.