Readings in Medieval History, Fifth Edition

The best collection of medieval documents in print. -- A.J. Andrea, University of Vermont Provides an excellent selection of complete texts or substantial extracts from key primary sources, helpfully grouped thematically and illustrating many current issues in modern historical study... an invaluable introduction. -- Rosamond McKitterick, Newnham College, University of Cambridge Students are introduced to the richness of medieval evidence and can engage with the personalities who produced it in a way that encourages further study and reflection on the Middle Ages. -- Nicholas Everett, University of Toronto This new edition is extremely welcome. Geary's collection was my favourite as an undergraduate, and I now use it in my own classes. Rather than the tiny and one-dimensional snippets found in other readers, this volume offers generous portions of sources, or even their entirety. In reading these sources, students learn the craft of the historian: to piece together the meaning of text, to understand the author's 'voice' and motives, and to be surprised (and delighted) by a text's many details and idiosyncrasies. -- Richard M. Pollard, University of British Columbia

Patrick J. Geary's highly acclaimed collection of source materials on the Western medieval world is well known for offering an excellent selection of substantial excerpts – or entire documents wherever possible—from the most widely studied historical texts.

Patrick J. Geary's highly acclaimed collection of source materials on the Western medieval world is well-known for offering an excellent selection of substantial excerpts—or entire documents wherever possible—from the most widely studied historical texts.

This much-anticipated fifth edition features a larger format, as well as enlarged type, to make the collection more reader-friendly. Study questions have been added at the end of each section to help students focus on key points in the text. New documents on the Black Death, William of Rubruck, and Marco Polo are included, as well as a new selection from St. Benedict's Rule for Monasteries and a new translation of Einhard's The Life of Charlemagne. Two color photo sections have been added, introducing students to fascinating medieval art such as a fifth-century ivory from Constantinople, the two earliest images of Joan of Arc, the Sachsenspiegel, and a shirt that belonged to Queen Bathild.