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prusche's review against another edition
2.0
This book is over 50 years old and it shows its age. It's out of date in so much, not only facts but in general style of presentation and bias of the author. Any medieval history book from the last 10 or 15 years would be a huge improvement over this.
lupuslibrorum's review against another edition
5.0
A solid overview of the Middle Ages. Well-organized and readable, Bishop's book is a fantastic resource both for scholars and the layman.
jonathanfs's review against another edition
4.0
I rated this based on its readability and breadth. I have no idea how accurate it was. I feel like I have a better grasp of the Middle Ages than when I started and have some ideas for further study.
kiwi_fruit's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book, I thought it was well organised. The first couple of chapters are dedicated to the main historical events, divided into early period and high/late middle ages. The following chapters are dedicated to specific topics: the hierarchical structure of feudal society, war, chivalry, religion, trade, education, literature, drama, sciences and the arts.
This book may not appeal to serious scholars (it is lacking even the basic references to sources, no notes are provided, etc.) and I noticed a couple of mistakes and some wide generalization (e.g. regarding local governance and the arts). Overall, however, it is a well written, informative and very enjoyable introduction to the middle ages period in Europe. Recommended.
This book may not appeal to serious scholars (it is lacking even the basic references to sources, no notes are provided, etc.) and I noticed a couple of mistakes and some wide generalization (e.g. regarding local governance and the arts). Overall, however, it is a well written, informative and very enjoyable introduction to the middle ages period in Europe. Recommended.
allynfolksjr's review against another edition
4.0
Morris Bishop's work on the Middle Ages briefly gives a chronological overview of the period before breaking out different aspects of society and culture into individual chapters. Although perhaps a slower read than it appears at first glance due to the fairly heavy dosage of archaic English verbiage used throughout the book, this work offers a good overview of this historical time period while allowing the reader to pick and choose which aspects they want to learn about in more detail.
I didn't come into this with the idea that it'd provide additional background information for European travel, but after completing the book it seems like this would at least be a secondary benefit of such a text.
I didn't come into this with the idea that it'd provide additional background information for European travel, but after completing the book it seems like this would at least be a secondary benefit of such a text.
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