From School Library Journal
YA?A concise but comprehensive introduction to the people, places, styles, and events of an era that was anything but "Dark." Bunson provides a little information on nearly everything related to the time period. Broad topics include trade and commerce, gothic art and architecture, and the Crusades. The inclusion of Arabic terms is helpful, as they are difficult to locate elsewhere. Their alphabetization may be a problem, however; e.g., Al-Hadi is found in the Hs. A detailed timeline and a family tree of dynasties are provided. Unfortunately, the illustrations are few in number and are limited to line drawings. Also, the rather drab map shows only the areas of northern Africa east to Turkey, Europe, and southern Scandinavia. Still, this is a good substitute for the multi-volume Dictionary of the Middle Ages (Scribners) for students who do not want to be overwhelmed.?Claudia Moore, W.T. Woodson High School, Fairfax, VA
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
While classical and modern history are usually adequately covered in most library collections, medieval subjects are often slighted because of lighter demand and the high cost of major sources on the era. This new work from encyclopedist Bunson (e.g., Encyclopedia of the Roman Empire, Facts on File, 1992) is a nicely priced, moderately sized, two-volume set that will enable many libraries to strengthen this subject area. Bunson defines the Middle Ages as spanning the years 410 to 1492. Arranged alphabetically, the articles average five pages, with See Also references pointing readers to related subjects and mentions of topics with their own entries appearing in bold type. The articles are tersely factual, concentrating on names of people, places, and events; coverage is less satisfactory for social concepts or philosophies. As a result, this work is more a dictionary than an encyclopedia, and its conciseness may frustrate individuals needing something beyond a brief description. While some of the best materials are the strongly focused chronologies of events, dynasties, and literature, the "Magna Carta" receives only 31 lines and "Alchemy," 62. Binding, illustrations, and the all-important index, essential for exploiting the wealth of information scattered throughout the articles, were not available for review. Libraries requiring in-depth materials will want the exhaustive Dictionary of the Middle Ages (Scribner, 13 vols., $990). A comparable though older title is The Middle Ages: A Concise Encyclopaedia (LJ 9/1/89); Bunson's similarly priced set is preferred, although its bibliography is unfortunately not much more current. For small and midsized public and school libraries.?James Moffet, Baldwin P.L., Birmingham, Mich.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
