Review: Through A Glass Darkly And Happily
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 10 11, 2013
I know that others who have expressed their opinions have not given this book such a high rating but let us be fair. It does do what it set out to do and that is a summary of the trends and incidents of what is termed the medieval period.  Even that may be a misnomer since some would argue quite convincingly that there are two period, the "dark ages" and the "medieval ages."This book is a tool, albeit, a tool over 100 years old, to help the reader approach that period with some comprehension.  If you think medieval, and think of Ivanhoe, this tome will correct that.  One reviewer complained that it is western European centric in it approach and geographically speaking he would be correct. But to assuage the reader's pique, if you look at the time line for this, it may have to do with the fact that the medieval development began 200 to 300 years later in the east than the west. (see "Medieval Cities" by Henri Pirenne, 1925 Princeton University Press).Enough said, for 99 cents, you also get an active TOC which is indispensable for a work such as this. If you disagree with a particular opinion, remember that a lot of scholarly water has gone under the bridge since this was first published.  Remember that this was written to accompany lectures so it rather dry reading but an exciting period.