Context:

The hosts read excerpts from this novel to introduce their discussion of the Hundred Years' War. They note that Conan Doyle thought his historical novels were better than the Sherlock Holmes books, and discuss how the novel captures the chivalric spirit of the period.

Context:

Referenced when discussing the arrival of the Black Death in Europe, specifically mentioning 'the description in Barbara Tuchman's book' about a ship pulling into Messina with dead men at the oars. Later cited again regarding her assessment that King John II 'could have served Machiavelli as the model for the anti-prince.'

Context:

Referenced in connection with a joke about the Order of the Garter's motto, where the hosts mention 'the joke in 1066 and all that is, honey, your garter's fallen off.'