Rating: 
Summary: Not a reliable sourcebook for the Middle Ages
Review: Supposedly, this book was put together by some of the "world's most distinguished medievalists"! One hopes not! In addition to the glaring errors of taste and judgment pointed out by some of the other reviewers, the factual errors are astonishing! One of the most egregious errors occurs on p. 138: "Eleanor of Aquitaine, wife of two kings, Philip I of France and Henry I of England"!!!!! Eleanor, of course, was the wife of Louis VII of France and of Henry II of England! This kind of sloppiness is simply not acceptable in a book that purports to be by "someof the world's best medieval historians" (fronticepiece). The pictures are pretty; some of the articles are acceptable (but hardly noteworthy), but the book should be avoided at all costs by serious (or would-be) students of the Medieval Period.
Rating:
Summary: Not a reliable sourcebook for the Middle Ages
Review: Supposedly, this book was put together by some of the "world's most distinguished medievalists"! One hopes not! In addition to the glaring errors of taste and judgment pointed out by some of the other reviewers, the factual errors are astonishing! One of the most egregious errors occurs on p. 138: "Eleanor of Aquitaine, wife of two kings, Philip I of France and Henry I of England"!!!!! Eleanor, of course, was the wife of Louis VII of France and of Henry II of England! This kind of sloppiness is simply not acceptable in a book that purports to be by "someof the world's best medieval historians" (fronticepiece). The pictures are pretty; some of the articles are acceptable (but hardly noteworthy), but the book should be avoided at all costs by serious (or would-be) students of the Medieval Period.
Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful Reference Work. Very Helpful.
Review: This book is exactly what the title claims: An Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages. The book is a great reference tool for students and interested readers of the Middle Ages. It is an A to Z complete guide of events, people, places, things, and is heavily illustrated to bring to life the times of the Middle Ages period. Everything from leaders to politics, to exploration and wars, religious movements, and philosophies are covered. The atmosphere of the times is revealed and the events people were most involved in are depicted with great care. Times, dates, and details are carefully laid out for the reader in every category covered. Therefore, this makes for a wonderful one volume handy tool for easy and quick reference. Moreover, Norman Cantor is highly respected in his area of specialty - medieval history. You cannot go wrong with this as a research tool in your library.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Reference Work. Very Helpful.
Review: This book is exactly what the title claims: An Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages. The book is a great reference tool for students and interested readers of the Middle Ages. It is an A to Z complete guide of events, people, places, things, and is heavily illustrated to bring to life the times of the Middle Ages period. Everything from leaders to politics, to exploration and wars, religious movements, and philosophies are covered. The atmosphere of the times is revealed and the events people were most involved in are depicted with great care. Times, dates, and details are carefully laid out for the reader in every category covered. Therefore, this makes for a wonderful one volume handy tool for easy and quick reference. Moreover, Norman Cantor is highly respected in his area of specialty - medieval history. You cannot go wrong with this as a research tool in your library.
Rating:
Summary: History comes alive with great writing and beautiful images
Review: This book is extremely reader friendly-guiding guiding you through the subject, not just alphabetically, but with an easy-to-follow "signpost" cross reference feature. The design is elegant and the images are spectacular. A gripping read throughout.
Rating: 
Summary: good work but typos?? hurt
Review: This is a beautifully produced book with hundreds of color plates. There are many areas barely touched upon, but this is not a deep work, just one meant to acquaint people with Medieval times and possibly lure to a more in depth study. But since this is an "encyclopedia", I ask did you ever get in depth works there? They are merely the start of a journey. If you think along those lines you will have a clear view of how this books works and serves. So approach it as that and you will be pleased. It is merely a starting point. Some inaccurate information, so beware to double check sources when using information. Not sure if the errors were done in actual research (hard to believe of a Rhodes Scholar) or just typos. Either way, in a work such as this they really hurt the credibility.
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