An exhaustively researched history of Beguine communities from their thirteenth century inception through the seventeenth century with notes on communities up to the present day. The book is packed with information and does not make for a light read, but it provides the reader with a thorough understanding of why and how the Beguinages came to be.
Cities of Ladies by Walter Simons
University of Pennsylvania Press
ISBN 978-0-8122-1853-4