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The Middle Ages
Between the Fall of Rome and the Renaissance were the Middle Ages. Once seen as a thousand years of warfare, religious infighting, and cultural stagnation, they are now understood to be the vital connection between the past and the present. Along with the battles that helped shape the modern world are a rich heritage of architecture, arts, and literature, of empire and its dissolution. It was the era of the Crusades and the Norman Conquest, the Black Death and the fall of Constantinople. It is a landscape both familiar and foreign, dark and foreboding at times, but also filled with the promise and potential of the future.
227 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 25, 2016
256 people are currently reading
255 people want to read
About the author
Edwin S. Grosvenor
47 books7 followersEdwin Grosvenor has been the Editor-in-Chief of American Heritage and Invention & Technology Magazines and President of American Heritage Publishing since 2007. He has published ten books and is best known for writing about his great-grandfather, Alexander Graham Bell, including two books and several magazine articles.
Early in his career, Grosvenor worked as a freelance photographer for National Geographic, completing 23 assignments in such countries as Belize, Canada, France, Greece, Iceland, Kenya, Spain, Tonga, Turkey and the U.S.
Grosvenor was President and Editor of Portfolio Magazine, the highest circulation fine arts publication in the U.S. at the time according to the Audit Bureau of Circulation, and a nominee for the National Magazine Award for General Excellence.
Mr. Grosvenor also served as president and editorial director of Hotel Magazine Network, Inc., a publisher of magazines for business travelers with a total circulation of 330,000 copies distributed in the rooms of Marriott and Hyatt hotels.
From 1991 to 1995, Mr. Grosvenor was the publisher of the literary magazine, Current Books, which published such authors as Norman Mailer, Bill Moyers, Garrison Keillor, David McCullough, Anne Tyler, and Vaclav Havel.
Mr. Grosvenor obtained his MBA and his MS (Journalism) degrees from Columbia University, and his BA from Yale University.
Early in his career, Grosvenor worked as a freelance photographer for National Geographic, completing 23 assignments in such countries as Belize, Canada, France, Greece, Iceland, Kenya, Spain, Tonga, Turkey and the U.S.
Grosvenor was President and Editor of Portfolio Magazine, the highest circulation fine arts publication in the U.S. at the time according to the Audit Bureau of Circulation, and a nominee for the National Magazine Award for General Excellence.
Mr. Grosvenor also served as president and editorial director of Hotel Magazine Network, Inc., a publisher of magazines for business travelers with a total circulation of 330,000 copies distributed in the rooms of Marriott and Hyatt hotels.
From 1991 to 1995, Mr. Grosvenor was the publisher of the literary magazine, Current Books, which published such authors as Norman Mailer, Bill Moyers, Garrison Keillor, David McCullough, Anne Tyler, and Vaclav Havel.
Mr. Grosvenor obtained his MBA and his MS (Journalism) degrees from Columbia University, and his BA from Yale University.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
November 10, 2017
This was a collection of articles written for Horizon, a “bi-monthly hardback” published by American Heritage from 1958 to 1989, the year after I graduated from high school. The front cover and title page imply that Edwin S. Grosvenor is the author; he is not - I suppose he is the editor, although I’m going to guess “gatherer” or “included” would be more correct (if not very scholarly or proper terms; I never claimed to be anything other than myself, and that is no scholar, and barely proper). The articles are a mixed bag; short, some of them crisply so, others not so successfully. Only one of the authors is a woman, Régine Pernoud, a French historian and archivist who died nine years ago. As far as I can tell, every writer in the book was white. 1958-1989 wasn’t really a time of “woke-ness”, so this should come as no surprise. I am glad we live in the time we do now, when more people are getting chances to express their opinions and share their research. Things aren't perfect, but they are better. Alfred Duggan's article on Saladin and Richard I was the most interesting (and eye opening: these guys were monsters). I also liked Pernoud's article about Charlemagne. Nothing of note here; feel comfortable skipping this book.
February 12, 2019
Research material like The Middle Ages by Edwin S. Grosvenor are difficult to review. Works like this incorporate several writings by several writers on a wide range of subjects. While some tend to gloss over the subject matter, they each tend to explore a particular situation or incident within the scope of the piece in greater detail.
This book begins with the barbarians, who weren't really savages but ethnic groups outside the definition of a Roman citizen. From the Avars to the Magyars, they each bring more than war, offering new skills and knowledge to a dying empire.
The book transitions into the age of Charlemagne and the birth of the feudal system. The book touches upon all areas of Europe including the East and Slavs.
There are chapters on Spain and the influence of Islam, as well as the troubles that haunted the Outremer.
I probably enjoyed the section on troubadours and jongleurs the most.
As many medieval books often do, the final book concludes with the Black Plague, a subject I have read far too much about.
This is a good read. There is nothing overwhelming. It's a casual, easy to absorb book about the Middle Ages.
This book begins with the barbarians, who weren't really savages but ethnic groups outside the definition of a Roman citizen. From the Avars to the Magyars, they each bring more than war, offering new skills and knowledge to a dying empire.
The book transitions into the age of Charlemagne and the birth of the feudal system. The book touches upon all areas of Europe including the East and Slavs.
There are chapters on Spain and the influence of Islam, as well as the troubles that haunted the Outremer.
I probably enjoyed the section on troubadours and jongleurs the most.
As many medieval books often do, the final book concludes with the Black Plague, a subject I have read far too much about.
This is a good read. There is nothing overwhelming. It's a casual, easy to absorb book about the Middle Ages.
January 4, 2018
This is a collection of interesting, well-curated essays that discuss the highlights of the Middle Ages in roughly chronological order. I’ve done enough reading about this period of history that these essays filled in some blanks and added some knowledge. But anyone who is looking for a good survey of the era, or a deep historical interpretation, would be left mystified, confused and disappointed. It was an easy enough read but I’d be hard-pressed to recommend it or to say what purpose it serves other than to give one more airing to a handful of previously published essays.
November 21, 2024
I'm not sure how Edwin S. Grosvenor is credited with being the author of this book. It contains eleven chapters/essays on various parts of the Middle Ages. None of which are written by Edwin. There's not even an introduction from Edwin saying he compiled or edited the chapters/essays to fit this book. So it's really odd to see him as the author when he didn't write any of the chapters.
That being said, this is a good book to get a feel of the Middle Ages. The eleven chapters/essays give you the high points of the topic and some interesting side notes. From there you can dig deeper with other works. This would benefit writers who were writing in the Middle Ages and wanted to know what was going on in the area during that time. I think it could be helpful in that regard.
It's a great beginning to learning more about the Middle Ages.
That being said, this is a good book to get a feel of the Middle Ages. The eleven chapters/essays give you the high points of the topic and some interesting side notes. From there you can dig deeper with other works. This would benefit writers who were writing in the Middle Ages and wanted to know what was going on in the area during that time. I think it could be helpful in that regard.
It's a great beginning to learning more about the Middle Ages.
January 30, 2018
This book covers roughly 1,000 years in 138 pages, so without saying, it's an overview. That, however, shouldn't be seen as a negative, but rather as a way of providing an introduction to the period and providing inroads to topics that warrant further investigation. More well-known entries include the Crusades and the Black Death, but I was glad to learn more about Charlemagne, the Byzantium Empire, and the Muslim influence on culture and education; about each of which I was largely ignorant.
March 24, 2019
The first thing I learned from this book is that the Middle Ages took place between 1100 and 1453 - earlier than I thought. This is a great collection of 11 essays on things pertaining to the Middle Ages - all written by different authors. My favorites were: The Knights Templar, The Troubadours, Alfonso the Learned of Castile, and The Black Death. A tough time to be alive!
November 17, 2020
Lesser known history finds daylight
So much is known of The Renascence and the discovery of new worlds but little thought is given to the time leading to that era. Often a romanticized period with little reality. The Middle Ages is akin to the discovery of fossil remains that changes our perception of reality.
So much is known of The Renascence and the discovery of new worlds but little thought is given to the time leading to that era. Often a romanticized period with little reality. The Middle Ages is akin to the discovery of fossil remains that changes our perception of reality.
March 6, 2019
Nice collection of essays on the middle ages
I gave four stars as I thought it was more of a linear description of the time, not a collection of essays. But it was still interesting and well written.
Nice fast reading, though sometimes a bit dull.
I gave four stars as I thought it was more of a linear description of the time, not a collection of essays. But it was still interesting and well written.
Nice fast reading, though sometimes a bit dull.
May 19, 2017
Quick read. Book is comprised of 11 subjects on the Middle Ages. Also 11 different authors. i found it enertaining as well as great teaching material on the subject. Learned quite a bit.
November 27, 2019
Compact but thorough treatment of normal life during the middle ages. Interesting sgments on Richard the Lionhearted during the Crusades and of the Black Plague.
November 14, 2024
An excellent read for those interested in the topic. A good resource for term papers and or research. Enjoy!
March 16, 2025
Early European history
Good read of early Europe. Broad coverage of European history. Gave a me a basic understanding and has inspiration to study further.
Good read of early Europe. Broad coverage of European history. Gave a me a basic understanding and has inspiration to study further.
September 25, 2025
A brief overview of Medieval Europe. Recommended for new learners.
February 3, 2017
A good primer for those aspects of the Middle Ages that so often lack clarity. Attending to subjects ranging from the Moors, the Byzantines and Alfonso, the essays are easy reads intended for those who just want to know a bit more. I particularly enjoyed the piece on the troubadours. Recommended for anyone who would like to be a tad more informed about an oft-neglected but ever-so-rich period of European history.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews