Customer Reviews

The Kingfisher Atlas of the Medieval World

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I checked this book out from the library when I was preparing to teach a children's class on the Middle Ages. Pluses: attractive book, nice maps, good timelines, and takes a world view. In other words, rather than focusing on Medieval Europe, it shows what was going on all around the world during selected time periods of the Middle Ages. I liked this because most other books about the Middle Ages focus exclusively on Europe and on Western civilization. Minuses: it's an atlas, so it's useful as a reference or a starting point, but there is no depth. Typical blurb from one of the maps: "Attacking Rome. Rome was ransacked by the Visigoths in 410 and then by the Vandals in 455."

I came to Amazon to check the price, but I would put this book in the category of "nice-to-have" rather than "must-have." I gave it four stars because it is an attractive book that achieves its limited purpose.

A very readable, well-illustrated timeline of medieval culture from 400 to 1400 A.D., covering all the world, not just Europe. One of the unique and fascinating aspects of the book is how well it shows what was happening around the world at this time, so you get a world view, not just one focused on Europe. For timeline and maps, one of the best pictorial world atlases of medieval times. Grades 4-12.