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55th out of 602 books
—
709 voters
The Civilization of the Middle Ages
Now completely revised and expanded, this comprehensive general history of the Middle Ages centers on medieval culture and religion rather than on political history, and retains the powerful narrative flow that made the earlier edition so accessible and exciting.
Paperback, Revised/Expanded Edition of Medieval History, 624 pages
Published
June 3rd 1994
by Harper Perennial
(first published 1964)
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Jun 08, 2007
Jennifer
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Students who need to write a paper about the Middle Ages
A thorough if sometimes tedious book about medieval Europe. Cantor's scholarship is sound. His writing is accessible but not the easy-to-digest style he perfects in such later book as "In the Wake of the Plague" and "Antiquity."
I have two complaints.
First, there are no maps or photos of any kind and the book suffers because of it. Modern maps do not represent the heavily forested, mostly rural Europe of the Middle Ages. Photos of the documents produced by monks in the scriptoria would have been...more
I have two complaints.
First, there are no maps or photos of any kind and the book suffers because of it. Modern maps do not represent the heavily forested, mostly rural Europe of the Middle Ages. Photos of the documents produced by monks in the scriptoria would have been...more
Aug 04, 2011
Jacob Aitken
added it
While most readers simultaneously love-hate Norman Cantor, even among his bitter critics he is considered a master in the field. In delineating the time frame of the middle ages, Cantor doesn't buck the standard trend that the Middle Ages began in the Barbarian invasions of Rome and ended in 1500. At the same time, though, he pleads for a hearing of other scholars' time lines (usally ending somewhere between 1200 and 1300).
It is difficult to analyze a standard survey work; most cover the same t...more
It is difficult to analyze a standard survey work; most cover the same t...more
I disagree with some of the conclusions that Cantor draws, I think that he a little too often states as fact what is really conjecture or a best-guess, and I wish that he had actually taken the time to give citations on many of his more controversial statements. In spite of these rather significant drawbacks, however, I was impressed with Cantor's work here. Though these flaws are not to be overlooked or lightly dismissed, I have not seen any work comparable with this one in its scope and style....more
The book listed here is an update to the one I actually read, which is probably the book's first edition, purchased and first read in 1965. The reason I reread it is twofold; one I have been reading mostly mind candy thrillers and, two, I have always considered this one of my favorite books. It still is. Cantor was one of the pioneers of bringing the middle ages out of the dark ages. It's amazing the number of cultural foundations we take for granted that were begun in the middle ages - the univ...more
About a quarter of the way through and am thoroughly enjoying. I'm embarrassed that there is such a big gap in my knowledge about this period. What should have been obvious to me is that there can be no understanding of the Middle Ages, at least in Europe, without knowing the evolution of the Catholic Church post-Constantine.
One small complaint: why is the type so tiny! That's why more and more I'm buying books on Kindle. I love holding a book but I hate squinting for hours at a time. And yes I...more
One small complaint: why is the type so tiny! That's why more and more I'm buying books on Kindle. I love holding a book but I hate squinting for hours at a time. And yes I...more
Compelling reading and first class treatment of medieval civilization, the author painstakingly address every possible angle in the study of medievalism, from the influence of Greek, Judeo-Christian until Islam's culture that has formed and reformed the multiple faces of middle ages. Also he discuss the crusade factor in political middle ages and the contour of scholasticism that later gave birth to european enlightenment.
This book is simply a must , I wouldn't classify myself as cultured man un...more
This book is simply a must , I wouldn't classify myself as cultured man un...more
I'm re-reading this book because my own personal interest in Medieval Europe, since I'll be studying for my doctorate in the subject. Anyway, it's a solid, well-written, overview of Medieval Europe (one reviewer remarked that it's eurocentric, apparently oblivious to the fact that the book is specifically about European civilization). I'm still partial to Durant and primary source material, but this is a solid work packed with information. The dates for the Middle Ages vary, since certain countr...more
Let me start by saying that this book was a bit daunting. At 566 pages, it's not the longest book I've ever tackled by far, but it may be one of the densest. Every page was literally crammed with information.
I'm a big fan of the one-volume history. I like to know a little bit about everything, but I don't like to get too intensive about much. I also don't enjoy the overly scholarly. Cantor's *Civilization* is a pretty perfect fit for these criteria: his prose is very "readable" for someone basic...more
I'm a big fan of the one-volume history. I like to know a little bit about everything, but I don't like to get too intensive about much. I also don't enjoy the overly scholarly. Cantor's *Civilization* is a pretty perfect fit for these criteria: his prose is very "readable" for someone basic...more
I had never really enjoyed learning about this period in history, but when I picked up this book, it pulled me into the vast, complex story that is Europe's foundation. It makes our own recent history so much more understandable. The book was well written and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys broadening their knowledge of history.
Cantor undertakes a huge project and manages to put together a book covering issues in three axes: in length (over a thousand years are covered), in width (most of Europe) and in depth. It's hard to even begin to put everything in order, so a body of work that manages to give an overall image of the period covered is simply amazing.
On the other hand, Cantor tends to focus quite a bit on kings and/versus church and, in doing so, gives the impression that the Middle Ages were all about knights, ki...more
On the other hand, Cantor tends to focus quite a bit on kings and/versus church and, in doing so, gives the impression that the Middle Ages were all about knights, ki...more
"No better explanation of medievalism is available to the general reader." � Booklist
Listen to The Civilization of the Middle Ages on your iPhone, desktop, or smartphone.
Listen to The Civilization of the Middle Ages on your iPhone, desktop, or smartphone.
Wow. Dense and jam packed with information, and a little scattered in the beginning chapters. I had to print out a few maps I found online just to help me follow the complex and somethmes vaguely described events (invasions, battles, pilgrimages, etc.). But I am committed to finishing, as I find this period of history fascinating and have enjoyed other books by this author.
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Ok, just finished. It took me months. A very difficult read. Focus is mostly on the politics of the time period. Exhausti...more
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Ok, just finished. It took me months. A very difficult read. Focus is mostly on the politics of the time period. Exhausti...more
I have read several of Cantor's books and I am always happy that I did. His writing about a period or event always provides the historical background and the theology, economics, and sociology to make you understand on more than a surface level.
I'm actually cheating. I didn't read the whole book. I simply got half way through it and stopped. It wasn't that it wasn't good-in fact, it was very good reference book the Middle Ages-but that you just can't read through it like a novel.
Another title I am recalling from my look at previous journals. Here are some impressions at the time:
>>I have learned about the cultural climate of the Middle Ages. Particularly interesting is the monastic movement's development as it applies to the Church's gradual rise to power. In History class (I was teaching high school at the time), we recently studied the early Christians, and Cantor places our studies in context. Some of the book will be helpful. The book itself is interesting an...more
>>I have learned about the cultural climate of the Middle Ages. Particularly interesting is the monastic movement's development as it applies to the Church's gradual rise to power. In History class (I was teaching high school at the time), we recently studied the early Christians, and Cantor places our studies in context. Some of the book will be helpful. The book itself is interesting an...more
Lengthy, authoritative and worthwhile summary of the evolution of (European) civilization from 400 to 1500. Certainly comprehensively filled in a yawning gap in this non-historian's awareness of the turbulence currents of the dark ages. A small but inadequate section late on partially addresses the lives of ordinary people, but in general it suffers from the Great Man theory - the idea that history can be explained through the stories of leaders alone. In this case, that's the frequently self-in...more
If I could give it negative stars I would. I'm forced to read this book for class. It's awful!!! I haven't learned a thing about the middle ages.
This was the first, and still the best, book on the Medieval era that I have read. History, generally, is one of my favorite topics, but this period was so formative to what followed - whether for good or ill.
Sep 21, 2012
Francis Wiget ii
added it
Good background for Medieval history.
I *really* liked the Medieval History Bibliography attached to later additions. Sources!
I *really* liked the Medieval History Bibliography attached to later additions. Sources!
Read this as assigned in a Middle Ages history class. Cantor was personable but, in my opinion, not as readable as Cahill.
Good, clear writing for the masses. The text is not overly academic; but written for casual reading by lay persons.
Detailed and thorough exposition of the Middle Ages from the fall of Rome to the renaissance.
Every page is interesting (if you're interested in this kind of thing).
It's very, very hard to cover "the middle ages" in a book this short (566 pgs). So far I think things are going well. Cantor definitely assumes you are reading the book straight through instead of picking out the chapters on your topic of choice. I found that out by reading all the chapters on development of church authority, being mildly confused, then starting over from the beginning. Things made much more sense once I knew what the Gelasian doctrine was and could tell the difference between M...more
Eurocentric, opinionated and everything but neutral in passing value oriented judgements. But the prose is GOOD - it took several weeks to finish the book but long stretches were entertaining and provided room for reflection.
Interesting book on the religious and political history of medieval life. Sometimes I think that the more things change, the more they stay the same.
A great introduction to the period. He's a cranky, cantankerous guy, and he doesn't hesitate to take swipes at other historians, but it's part of the entertainment. You'll get a thorough grounding in the all aspects of the time, both the traditional concerns of history, like wars and economics, but also lifestyles and particularly internal church history. Maybe not to everyone's taste, but if you like this sort of thing, well, you'll like it.
Interesting and informative history of Europe in the middle ages. It could have used better editing.
Yeah, I give up. too much info. I might have liked if I was reading it, but the book is 0ver 600 pages. I don't have the patience for this. This would be really good if you had to write a paper but I can't bring myself to listen to the rest of it. There are too many other books I'd rather read. I'm not rating though, since I only listened to about half of it!
Improvement over the original.
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Born in Winnipeg, Canada, Cantor received his B.A. at the University of Manitoba in 1951. He went on to get his master's degree in 1953 from Princeton University and spent a year as a Rhodes Scholar at the University of Oxford. He received his doctorate from Princeton in 1957 under the direction of the eminent medievalist Joseph R. Strayer.
After teaching at Princeton, Cantor moved to Columbia Univ...more
More about Norman F. Cantor...
After teaching at Princeton, Cantor moved to Columbia Univ...more
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