A History of the Middle Ages

by Crane Brinton, John Christopher, Robb Wolff

Wow! Very long book however. You'll spend a week on this for sure.

A History of the Middle Ages is the amazing story of European man in transition. It is a dramatic chronicle of 1,000 years of political, social, and economic transformation beginning with the dissolution of the classical Mediterranean civilization and ending with the first flowering of the Renaissance. It is also the story of two new religions, Christianity and Islam, both of which were destined to dominate the mind of every person in those new civilizations arising in their wake. This was the great Age of Faith, a time of darkness and a time of enlightenment...a time of lords and vassals, popes and kings, and commerce and cathedrals.

Size of Audible Audio 1146 minutes in 3 parts

Part 1: 6 hr 15 min
Part 2: 6 hr 29 min
Part 3: 6 hr 22 min

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Audiobook, World History

1146 pages, Audio Book

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Clarence Crane Brinton (February 25, 1898 – September 7, 1968) was an American historian of France, as well as a historian of ideas. His most famous work, The Anatomy of Revolution (1938) likened the dynamics of revolutionary movements to the progress of fever.

Reviews

[Alli · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was... an ok book. The history was interesting, though this is dated at this point, by 30 years (see, references to the *on-going* Soviet Union). What drove me crazy though with the audiobook was that the narrator mispronounced major, common names and places. I can't put the blame on the UK vs US English pronunciation, either, as American academics use the same pronunciations for things like "the Merovingians" or "Ghibellines" as British academics. Over a 19 hour audiobook, the errors really stack up, and it was frustrating.

[Deirdre E Siegel · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a life-long student of world history, life, philosophy and theology this was a pleasant listen, that no pdf with maps or pictures was a good reason to believe my listen being without a bibliography was not suitable for serious thought, more history by drone view, still enjoyable though.
Thank you for your collected words Crane Brinton, John Christopher, Robert Wolff along with Charlton Griffin’s eloquence, much appreciated gentlemen (-:

[Vooh Eheve · Rating 4 out of 5]

good audio book with good sound effects!

[نزار شهاب الدين · Rating 2 out of 5]

While this book provides a wide survey of the middle ages, it shows some lack of objectivity and use of proper historical evidence, especially regarding Arabs, Muslims, and Islam in general. I would not have paid attention to such a superficial dealing with historical facts and characters if it were from a non-historian, but the authors are specialists and have seemingly done their research with other historical characters and facts (have they?!) It does cast shadows of suspicion on the other parts of the book to see the authors describe Haroun Al-Rasheed the Abbasid Caliph as 'the one we know from Arabian Nights'! I thought it was common knowledge that Arabian Nights is a purely fictitious book and that the Haroun Al-Rasheed in it has nothing to do with the real one, yet one still lives to see. If this is what the authors could present as a description of the Calif whose reign had witnessed the climax of prosperity and civilization of the Abbasid Caliphate (ironically, as per the authors' comment!) then it casts heavy shadows of suspicion on the validity of their research; and this is not an aggressive generalization because this incident represent a single example among several.

Of course each historian's work carries his point of view and his inclination towards certain theories and explanations, but when it comes to research then the mere simple truths are threatened to be obscured, if not utterly twisted. One then has to take heed when reading this book and seek more objective and well-researched sources.

[Kristi Richardson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good trivia book on the Middle Ages. Any book on so large a subject tends to be a "trivia book" because you can't go into any depth and not end up with an encyclopedia. That said, it was well done and well read.
My only complaint would be the music and chanting in the background which took me quite awhile to get used to. (In fact at one point I gave up on this book because of this.)

There are several sections that are touched upon in this volume. Christianity and Islam are well represented as well as country histories of France, Germany, Turkey, Britain, Russia and the Mongols.

I felt this was a balanced book on the Crusades and the Byzantium Empire. I do think if you want to know more about these subjects there are better books but this is a nice overview for those with a casual interest.

[taarak · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! Very long book however. You'll spend a week on this for sure.

A History of the Middle Ages is the amazing story of European man in transition. It is a dramatic chronicle of 1,000 years of political, social, and economic transformation beginning with the dissolution of the classical Mediterranean civilization and ending with the first flowering of the Renaissance. It is also the story of two new religions, Christianity and Islam, both of which were destined to dominate the mind of every person in those new civilizations arising in their wake. This was the great Age of Faith, a time of darkness and a time of enlightenment...a time of lords and vassals, popes and kings, and commerce and cathedrals.

[Simone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book about this incredible historical period, which I knew very little about. Now I can venture to say I am a tad less ignorant of it. It emphasises the technological and social developments that took place during that millennium and it also sheds light on the important contributions of Byzantium and Islam, among others. It explains in plenty detail how the modern states came to being, with attention to the famous city states and monarchies of the time and other special landmarks. Overall, a very informative and entertaining listen, and a very journalistic-like 50's style British accent reader, which I especially favour. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Kikou Hsieh · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is useful as far as being a beginner's guide to medieval history is concerned, it does not go into detail, just jumping from one theme to another, so those interested in particular themes can do further research. It also suffers from the all too often a problem of Eurocentrism, the thousand year between the Fall of Western Roman Empire 472 a,d and the fall of Eastern Roman Empire in 1454 in China is between Tang and Ming Dynasty. a lot of things happened there too. In short, it's a folly to try to squeeze a thousand years in a 18 hour history book.

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a book to read when you are tired, unless you want to go to sleep. The material is well presented and it does do a good job of tying together information I have learned in the past. The organization so far is topical rather than chronological, so that can be a bit difficult since the book spans a period of approximately 1,100 years

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting information and it certainly accomplishes what it sets out to do, to provide a comprehensive look at the Middle Ages, but all in all, this is fairly drab and strangely organized. I listened to the audio version and the sound effects (lots of Gregorian chants and warefare sounds) at the beginning and ends of chapters and sections helped.

[J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book and a fun read. Covers the sweep of history in Europe and provides wonderful insights into how history has influenced and shaped the world we live in today. Well worth the time it takes to read.

[Grace · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a dense survey of the Middle Ages. The breakdown of information didn't quite work for me and the audiobook narrator had a sleep inducing voice that did not lend itself well to such a dense and information packed book.

[Rod Zemke · Rating 4 out of 5]

one of the great historians of the 20th century

[Sahar Kharrufa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite an enlightening book. Focuses on the people, culture, religion and social life rather than battles and wars.