Middle Ages

by Dorothy Mills

In The Middle Ages, Dorothy Mills lets medieval chroniclers tell their own tales; poets and troubadours, minstrels and wandering scholars sing their own songs; and serfs describe their hard lot. Beginning with the early Middle Ages, she tells how Constantinople acted as a bulwark against attacks of uncivilized tribes from the East; how Christian missionaries went out to convert the pagan lands of Europe; the story of Mohammed and the influence of Islam; of Vikings and their seafaring ways. She combines interesting source material with a scholarly interpretation of important events and of those features that characterized all countries during the Middle Ages: the Church; monks and friars and pilgrims; feudalism and chivalry; the manors and towns; Crusades; students wandering in search of learning; science and magic; poetry and drama; arts and crafts. Dorothy Mills had an uncanny ability to write history that is interesting and at the same time based on sound scholarship. Her direct, engaging approach is valued increasingly by the many parents in our day who are looking for reliable materials for home study, as well as by many private school educators. The highly-prized six volumes of her historical works (see below) have become scarce, and so Dawn Chorus has reprinted them in its effort to offer texts ideally suited to the needs of a new generation of teachers and students. In a world where the quality of education has so deteriorated, may the reissue of this wonderful historical series shine as a beacon to a new generation of young (and not so young) scholars! Dawn Chorus publishes five other books by Dorothy Mills: The Book of the Ancient World; The Book of the Ancient Greeks; The Book of the Ancient Romans; The People of Ancient Israel; and Renaissance and Reformation Times. Dawn Chorus has also republished another historical series perfectly suited for home or school use: The Picturesque Tale of Progress, by Olive Beaupr Miller. It is available in large format (9 volumes), or smaller, double-bound format (5 volumes).

Genres: History, Nonfiction, School, Medieval

386 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1935

About the author

Agnes Dorothy Mills M.A. (1879 -1966) was an American historian and educator.

She graduated from the University of St. Andrews (LLA; 1915) & Columbia University (AM; Education; 1915). Miss Mills was a teacher of history & chairman of the department of history at the Brearley School in New York City.

Reviews

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

For my goodreads project I read "The Middle Ages", which is a fascinating non-fiction book about the middle ages of Europe. The books author is Dorothy Mills, who wrote this book because she wanted to put out a resource that people could easily get a hold of and use to learn about the intriguing years that were the middle ages. It is a very informational book that actually taught me a lot. The theme that Mills repeatedly brought up was that everything in the past effected the future. She would tell a story of one event or person in particular, then make a direct connection between that event and one in future years. Whether the effect happened the next day after the event, or 200 years later, there was a connection to the future. This theme brought up the idea to me that no matter the past, whether it be good, bad, sad, gruesome, or even boring the future will forever be changed in a tremendous way by the previous event, no matter the size or importance. I would say that this book was a a description, and a very informative one at that. Taking factual events, and telling them in such a way that the reader can be interested in the story no matter their IQ, is easily a description of Dorothy Mills forte. She took me on a ride through the Germanic tribes of the middle ages, I witnessed the crusades, I even entered into a jousting arena and discovered it was commonly refereed to as a List. In my opinion this was an amazing book, and I loved the way Dorothy taught me the history of our ancestors, and helped me understand things that always confused me in history classes. My only problem with this book, is that if there was an excerpt from another book the print would be so small it sometimes hurt my eyes to study it for long periods of time.

[Travis · Rating 5 out of 5]

If history books were still being written like this, I might now be a historian. Dorothy Mills makes history come alive and shows the purpose and significance of a body of historical data out of which modern historicists can make nothing meaningful or true. What a relief from the politically correct drivel and propaganda which passes for history these days!

[Dan O’Neill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful survey of the Middle Ages.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written. But I hate it. 😗

[Sterling Mullen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A detailed and unique book
The Middle Ages review by Sterling Mullen
The Middle Ages is a non-fiction book about the history of the middle ages. The book begins with the fall of Rome and it ends in the late 14th century, around the time of the black death. The Middle Ages was published in 1935, Dorothy Mills explains everything you need to know about medieval life. Dorothy Mills has also written other books about history such as The book of the Ancient Greeks. As an author, Dorothy Mills has only written non-fiction books.

This is book aims to attract high school and college students, and it explains the middle ages in vivid detail. This book would be a good addition to any school or library. There are several maps, a large index, and pictures. The photographs in the back of the book show the medieval architecture, art, and documents. The index is very detailed being eight pages, making it easy if you are searching for a specific topic. The illustrations and maps in the book are clear and make it easier to visualize the empires, trade routes, and towns. The book also includes a time chart showing important events and notable people from 300 to 1500 A.C.

The facts in this book are very accurate, there are many sources quoted in the preface of the book. The information came from many museums and universities around the world. If you need more authentication the author of this book was also the head of the history department for Brearley school in New York. The book covers a wide range of topics from the Byzantine empire, the Crusades, and the medieval church. The book is also a decently long read being 335 pages, not including the index and preface.

Dorothy Mills has a writing style that is easy to understand and comprehend. This book’s writing is sometimes challenging to understand when there are direct translations of medieval age songs, poems, and documents to English. Dorothy Mills shows the importance and relevance of the middle age to today's world. The Middle Ages explains that a majority of today’s culture comes from the middle ages. The Middle Ages also shows how Europe became increasingly relevant to the world.

I would recommend this book to any lover of history, and to any student requiring information about the middle ages. If you do not like history don’t read this book, because this book would not be the most interesting to you. Personally, I enjoy this book quite a bit, because I also enjoy history. I would give this book 4.5/5 in my personal opinion, for the detail and ease of finding specific topics. In conclusion, you should read this book if you are at all intrigued by the middle ages.

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I seem to enjoy these more the older I get. 🤔

Mills tells this story well, with her vintage, approachable style. A good intro to the middle ages, though not incredibly in depth.

Check out my reviews of The Book of the Ancient Romans and The Book of the Ancient Greeks, other books in the series!

4 Stars

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Discovered Dorothy Mills through homeschooling contacts and I'm so glad I did. I really enjoyed this perspective on the Middle Ages. Her heavy use of primary documents was both appreciated and added credibility to her interpretation of historical events.

[isabella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really well written just didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would.

[Phil Belin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read in preparation for teaching 8th grade humanities. Fair overview of the time period but woefully shallow at times.

[C. J. Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy read for a very basic introduction to medieval life. It does not go into great detail, and it does show its age in places, but overall it's very helpful for analyzing the skeleton and vital organs of the middle ages.

[Kathy Weitz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good overview of the time period. Used, along with primary sources, as a high school text to accompany King's Meadow Curriculum by Dr. George Grant and our Great Books study of Christendom.

[Clare S-B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite interesting, I had to read it for school. I did learn a lot of stuff about the middle ages so it was good, but only really as interesting as a history book can be.