Medieval Europe: A Short History Review

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(More customer reviews)Out of my modest library of a dozen or so books on the period, "Medieval Europe, A Short History" is the one that I would recommend to use as a general introduction. I give it four stars because I believe that the highest ranking should be reserved for works of unparalleled insight and expression. That aside, this is a solid, professional, comprehensive, and accessible piece of work.
First published by Dr. Hollister in 1964, the book is now in its Ninth Edition (2002). For this reason, some of the criticisms in the reviews pre-dating the most recent edition are unfounded. (I have a Second Edition, and it is but a shadow of the current volume.)
The work of updating the text has been taken over by Dr. Bennett of the University of North Carolina. I believe that the long legacy of the book and its many revisions reflect what does and does not work in an introductory course to the Medieval period. Dr. Bennett's touch is apparent in the steady but fair commentary given to the role of women throughout the long period.
Above all, the book is compact and well-organized. While, at times, it may proceed like an outline, that aspect is driven by its scope: Western Europe from late antiquity to the Renaissance, with additional commentary (for context) on Byzantium & the rise of Islam. In fact, the amount of information contained within its 397 pages (paperback version) is impressive.
Given its purpose, one cannot expect much digression into painting portraits of the times. What one can expect is a clear and direct exposition of the salient events and major trends of the Medieval period from all angles (political, religious, intellectual, social, economic, artistic, cultural). On that score, it squarely delivers.
The signature element of the discussion are the brief asides and analogies to 20th Century American society and culture. They only show up every once in awhile -- not enough to be distracting and certainly witty enough to bring a smile.
From "A Short History," I'd suggest proceeding with Cantor's "Civilization of the Middle Ages" and to the essays in the "Oxford Illustrated History of Medieval Europe." After that, the door should be wide open to an investigation of whatever detailed aspect of the period a reader might want to pursue.

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Medieval Europe introduces today's students to the medieval roots of our own society. In an accessible and engaging narrative, it tells how the peoples of medieval Europe built, understood, and changed their world. Never losing sight of the neighboring civilizations of Byzantium and Islam, it has its feet firmly planted in the medieval West, from whence it gives ample consideration to such subjects as women's lives, Jewish communities, ordinary people, and the experiences of Europeans in the often-neglected centuries of the Later Middle Ages.

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