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Rating: 
Summary: Good reference book on the middle ages.
Review: I found the book to be easily readable and makes a great companion to the other reference books that I have on the Middle Ages.
Rating: 
Summary: A great book on Medieval Times!
Review: I highly recommend this book. It is really good and full of historical information on the Medeival times. The subjects are divided by chapters. It is well written.
Rating:
Summary: A great book on Medieval Times!
Review: I highly recommend this book. It is really good and full of historical information on the Medeival times. The subjects are divided by chapters. It is well written.
Rating: 
Summary: General overview, not for the serious researcher
Review: The book is a broad overview which aims for the mass market audience. While it's okay for someone who wants a general picture of some facets of medieval life, it does not have the kind of detail or specificity necessary for serious research.
-It has some very nice pictures which is always a plus but although there may be attributions for them, the Photography Credits are arranged in such a way as to make tracking the sources down a little cumbersome.
-There are lists of Explanatory Notes and Bibliographical Notes at the end of the book referenced to each chapter and a General Bibliography. The majority of the references are secondary sources but there is a smattering of primary source document citations.
-Chapters are quite short. They give a brief taste of a wide range of topics--perhaps enough to write a Middle School essay but certainly not enough for anyone who is seriously interested in the period.
All in all, it's an okay book to read through if you have a beginning interest in aspects of medieval life in England or France. It can give you ideas for what to investigate further; there is a WIDE range of topics covered but not enough information to give you a solid understanding on any of them. The book was meant to be a scholarly work. The target audience is Joe Average and not the historian so if you're the man on the street who just wants some factoids and a bit of flavor, the book is okay. If you're into medieval history and want something meaty, look elsewhere.
**The book has been reprinted by Barnes and Noble and is available BRAND NEW for $14.98.
Rating:
Summary: A must-have.
Review: This is a compilation of several of the Gies' books: "Life in a Medieval Castle", "Life in a Medieval Village", and "Life in a Medieval City". But it's so much more, making it a must-have even for people who own the other books. I own all of them, and I still was absolutely delighted with this book.Why? Because of the pictures! The softcover books don't have many pictures, if any at all, but this is LOADED with them, and quite a few are in color. It's absolutely outstanding, the way it is illustrated. Every single page just about is loaded with color photos of paintings, books, castles, portraits, you name it. They are all of excellent quality, though I'd have liked bigger ones, being the greedy person I am. Extras seem to include a genealogy of the Counts of Champagne and a geographic guide to castles, listing extant ones country-by-country through Europe. There are explanatory notes at the end, a large bibliography, and photography credits. There is also a glossary and an index that looks adequate. This is a huge book, heavy and hard-covered, almost a coffee table book except for its vast wealth of information. I'd say if you are interested in the Middle Ages, this would make a grand addition to your library -- and if you know someone who likes medieval history, this would make them a fantastic Christmas present.
Rating:
Summary: A must-have.
Review: This is a compilation of several of the Gies' books: "Life in a Medieval Castle", "Life in a Medieval Village", and "Life in a Medieval City". But it's so much more, making it a must-have even for people who own the other books. I own all of them, and I still was absolutely delighted with this book. Why? Because of the pictures! The softcover books don't have many pictures, if any at all, but this is LOADED with them, and quite a few are in color. It's absolutely outstanding, the way it is illustrated. Every single page just about is loaded with color photos of paintings, books, castles, portraits, you name it. They are all of excellent quality, though I'd have liked bigger ones, being the greedy person I am. Extras seem to include a genealogy of the Counts of Champagne and a geographic guide to castles, listing extant ones country-by-country through Europe. There are explanatory notes at the end, a large bibliography, and photography credits. There is also a glossary and an index that looks adequate. This is a huge book, heavy and hard-covered, almost a coffee table book except for its vast wealth of information. I'd say if you are interested in the Middle Ages, this would make a grand addition to your library -- and if you know someone who likes medieval history, this would make them a fantastic Christmas present.
Rating:
Summary: This is a fascinatingly outsanding book...if you are a H....
Review: This is a fascinatingly outsanding book...if you are a History teacher or a philosopher. I am a parent of a 9th grader in the High School, and my son was required to read this book by the end of the summer. He disliked it very much, because it was basically a textbook - with the different chapters that were all quite monotonous. I know this because I read the book myself, and I found it more interesting than my son found it, most certainly, but it wasn't a good book in the least bit. The only way I would find it interesting would be if I were researching the Medieval times. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: awesome
Review: When I needed some extra information, I found this book. It was a very detailed account to several things about the middle ages, such as what material was widely used in garments to from where and how certain things, such as the castle, came to england or france. The chapter on the lady of the castle or on daily life in a village was most intriguing. I barely leave it alone, now.
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