Customer Reviews

France in the Later Middle Ages 1200-1500 (Short Oxford History of France)

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This edited volume by David Potter is part of the larger, six-volume set, The Short Oxford History of France." This particular volume consists of eight monographs by French and British historians covering the High and Late Medieval Period of France, and focuses on political and economic themes, particularly as regards the impact of war and monarchical evolution on the French state. The book is written to a scholarly audience, but is certainly accessible to most any reader due to its clear writing style. Although topical coverage is very good for the focus which the book takes, this is not the volume to consider if you are looking for information on the birth of the University or the emergence of Gothic architecture, both major themes within France for the period. (For those, see A History of the University in Europe: Volume 1, Universities in the Middle Ages and Gothic Architecture (The Yale University Press Pelican History of Art), which cover these topics admirably.) But if you are interested in the royal demesne, the Hundred Years War, the Valois or the noblesse of the period, this book is probably one of the best places to start. Highly recommended.

Of further note...

I can't help but comment on two other factors which make this, as well as other volumes in the Short Oxford History of France series, standouts worth of consideration. The first is that, unlike many books of its kind, this volume contains substantial back matter to support the text. There is a short dictionary of terms, numerous (!) maps, multiple genealogical charts, an abbreviated chronology, and, of course, a highly detailed bibliography (with recommendations for further reading). Every book like this should have these aids, but many do not, and their inclusion here only strengthens an already excellent work. In addition, and this is no small matter, the type font, print, and paper quality all add to make books in this series eminently readable. As you know from your own interaction with books, attention to detail like this can make the difference between a good and a challenging reading task. Kudos to Oxford for such a great job here (but head-scratching as to why they did not emply the same techniques to the development of their series "Great Medieval Thinkers" (compare Hugh of Saint Victor (Great Medieval Thinkers)) which, while containing superb content, is incredibly difficult to read due to extremely small and thin print. I still recommend these excellent volumes due to their superb content, but why couldn't Oxford treat their reproduction in the same manner than they did here with the Short Oxford History of France?