The Civilization of the Middle Ages

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In 1963, Norman F. Cantor published a groundbreaking narrative history of the Middle Ages, which saw further editions in 1968 and 1974. This latest revision features a significant expansion, with a third of the text being new. It incorporates current research and fresh interpretations, particularly regarding the foundations of the Middle Ages up to A.D. 450 and the Later Middle Ages of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. The revision places a sharper emphasis on social history, Jewish history, women's roles, and popular religion and heresy. While the first and last sections are nearly entirely new, the intervening sections have also been updated, all while maintaining the engaging narrative flow that characterized earlier editions. Innovative for its time, Cantor's work was the first comprehensive general history of the Middle Ages to focus on culture and religion rather than solely on political history, though it does address the latter from a social perspective. It remains unique in this regard, featuring numerous biographical sketches of prominent medieval figures. Drawing on a century of detailed research, Cantor's book is both authoritative and compelling, offering an exciting narrative from start to finish.