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A review by tome15
Medieval Europe: A Short History by C. Warren Hollister, Judith M. Bennett
4.0
Bennett, Judith M. Medieval Europe: A Short History. 11th ed. McGraw Hill, 2011.
Medieval Europe: A Short History claims to be the most popular textbook on its subject. I have no reason to doubt that. It is clear, well-organized, and up to date in its historical methods. Judith Bennett is an expert in the women’s history of the period, and I understand there is now a twelfth edition that adds new archeological evidence and material on race and diversity. It has more cultural history and less war and politics than the histories I grew up with. It is very readable, and I read it so quickly, I am sure I could not pass a test; but it does have links to web materials that would help me get ready for one. It does a good job of pointing out the interplay between the Eastern and Western churches and the influence of Islamic culture. The Middle Ages weren’t all plagues, knights and crusades.
Medieval Europe: A Short History claims to be the most popular textbook on its subject. I have no reason to doubt that. It is clear, well-organized, and up to date in its historical methods. Judith Bennett is an expert in the women’s history of the period, and I understand there is now a twelfth edition that adds new archeological evidence and material on race and diversity. It has more cultural history and less war and politics than the histories I grew up with. It is very readable, and I read it so quickly, I am sure I could not pass a test; but it does have links to web materials that would help me get ready for one. It does a good job of pointing out the interplay between the Eastern and Western churches and the influence of Islamic culture. The Middle Ages weren’t all plagues, knights and crusades.