Medieval France: An Encyclopedia (Routledge Encyclopedias of the Middle Ages) [Hardcover]

William W. Kibler (Editor), Grover A. Zinn (Editor), John Jr. Bell Henneman (Editor), Lawrence Earp (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0824044444 | ISBN-13: 978-0824044442 | Publication Date: March 1, 1995

The first single-volume reference work on the history and culture of medieval France, this information-filled Encyclopedia of over 2,400 entries covers the political, intellectual, literary, and musical history of the country from the early fifth century to the late 15th. The shorter entries offer succinct summaries of the lives of individuals, events, works, cities, monuments, and other important subjects, followed by essential bibliographies. Longer essay-length articles provide interpretive comments about significant institutions and important periods or events. The Encyclopedia is thoroughly cross-referenced and includes a generous selection of illustrations, maps, charts, and genealogies

Editorial Reviews

Review

This volume on the history and culture of medieval France will be indispensable for university libraries... Spelling and proofreading are excellent. -- Fifteenth-Century Studies
An emphasis on politics, religion, literature, art and architecture is expected, but technical subjects-agriculture, warfare, medicine, textiles, and mining-are also well represented. Women receive good coverage in individual biographies and in articles on such subjects as family and gender, women in trade, and widowhood... This work is successful in providing a one-volume, up-to-date synthesis of an immensely rich and important era... Highly recommended for larger public and four year college and university libraries and for some special collections. -- Library Journal
Intended primarily for students and general readers, it will prove useful for scholars seeking general orientation, bibliography, and interpretations in areas beyond their field of expertise... Numerous maps and pictures illustrate the text, and page layout is pleasing... Highly recommended for all libraries. -- Choice
Students and the general public are likely to benefit from it... Anyone interested in medieval France would do well to consult this superb source. -- Reference Quarterly
The editors have amply fulfilled their aim to provide a balanced, informative, and up-to-date reference work that, although directed primarily toward students and the general public, will also provide a useful starting point for scholars in various disciplines. -- Contemporary Review
Superb encyclopedia. Both scholars and the public should appreciate its breadth and depth of coverage. Highly recommended. -- Reference Book Review
This is a remarkably useful and attractive volume... The range of topics covered is impressive. -- Arthuriana

Product Details

• Hardcover: 1080 pages
• Publisher: Routledge (March 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0824044444
• ISBN-13: 978-0824044442
• Product Dimensions: 11.5 x 8.5 x 2.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #277,202 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A true encyclopedic record of its place and time, November 30, 2008

By 

Robert Fripp "RobertFripp.ca/" (Toronto, ON) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Medieval France: An Encyclopedia (Routledge Encyclopedias of the Middle Ages) (Hardcover)

On the very day I write this review about "Medieval France: An Encyclopedia," the New York Times is running an Op-Ed piece called "How to Publish Without Perishing," in which author James Gleick speculates on the fate of printed books in the Internet age: "For some kinds of books, the writing is on the wall. Encyclopedias are finished," he writes. Not so fast! We might agree that it would be a waste of effort to publish a printed encyclopedia about, say, information technology. It would be out of date before the presses were up to speed. However, medieval France is another matter.

Routledge published "Medieval France: An Encyclopedia" in 1995, before the Internet became a threat to traditional book publishers. As a physical tome, this book is well illustrated, designed and manufactured to last, its future in libraries and private collections assured. In short, it's impressive. Medieval France is frozen in time, too. Its fabric will never change although our knowledge and interpretations will evolve. "Medieval France: An Encyclopedia" seems safe from redundancy for years to come. A roster of authors of the caliber of Grover A. Zinn, Jr. (who gives us the entry on Peter Abelard), and Stephen Weinberger (Arbitration of disputes), ensures that these pages present contributors of high achievement drawn from leading lights among religious and secular historians. True, this book will miss fashions that blossom and die on the Internet, but beyond that it gives readers high-level, mainstream explanations on just about everything under the medieval sun. Well written, indexed and cross-referenced, too. A wealth of entries covers the usual people, events, arts and institutions. But this encyclopedia adds many arcane subjects (i.e. mining zinc) omitted elsewhere. Turn these pages to discover trade, veneration (as well as religion), religious orders, liturgy and literature, healing, climate, evolving tastes in music, and a great deal more besides. Medieval France, while not a military powerhouse, exported influences, often to the point of cultural dominance, far beyond its borders. "Medieval France: An Encyclopedia" constitutes an encyclopedic record of a cultural age as well as a place and a time.

Robert Fripp, author of
Power of a Woman. Memoirs of a turbulent life: Eleanor of Aquitaine

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars True Encyclopedic Reference on All Things French Medieval, May 10, 2011

By 

Ray "A Reader" - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Medieval France: An Encyclopedia (Routledge Encyclopedias of the Middle Ages) (Hardcover)

This type of volume is not one that you would typically think about purchasing, to be perfectly honest. It is expensive (the direct cost from the publisher, Routledge/Taylor & Francis, is $295), and even in the used market, the book can fetch a tidy sum. It is also physically large. But, of course, this book is designed to be a generally comprehensive encyclopedic reference to Medieval France, and with the breadth and scope of its entries, along with the quality of its writing, it distinguishes itself as one of the best in the field. It's a truly impressive book, with detailed, yet accessible, writing, and a topical reach that makes the term "Encyclopedia" used in its title truly accurate.

Routledge made this tome, along with a series of others on Medieval England, Medieval Ireland, etc., back in the mid 1990's, and as a previous reviewer here pointed out, this was just right before the moment at which Internet and electronic based written sources were beginning to take off. Each book in the series (The Routledge Encyclopedias of the Middle Ages) carried both a physically and economic weight, but, of course, these books were largely destined for public and university libraries. As such, they are printed and bound with exceptional quality, and even carry lifetime guarantees. It is true that you can now purchase this book for the Kindle, but it will cost you the same are the original printed volume, and, to be perfectly honest, you loose out on the ability to interact with such a lovely quality book. Yes, its large, but its high quality, and really quite a lovely work.

But the writing and the scope of its topical coverage are where this book assumes its greatest value. The entries are, of course, varied in length according to topic, but if you are wanting to get a solid background on the Seven Liberal Arts, you'll get three pages of double column text on it, and you'll also be provided supporting and supplemental bibliographical references. If you want to study Scholasticism, you'll find a significant entry on the subject that is well written and provides good orientation. And like all encyclopedias, this book as not designed to be a final reference for all subjects, but is to provide a scholarly orientation and exploratory entry on each topic so that one can go one to derivative, more detailed, study. But the entries are surprisingly detailed, and much of its content may be used with little concern for research within medieval France.

Five stars for writing, five stars for coverage, and five stars for quality of production. Can I knock it down a few stars because of high price? Probably not, because if you get to see the volume and go through it, you'll see it's worth every penny. It's a shame that all these books are not that easy to find, but if you can find them, look into them if this is your area of interest.

A few others from the same set (Routledge Encyclopedias of the Middle Ages):
Medieval England: An Encyclopedia (Routledge Encyclopedias of the Middle Ages)
Medieval Ireland: An Encyclopedia (Routledge Encyclopedias of the Middle Ages)
Medieval Archaeology: An Encyclopedia (Routledge Encyclopedias of the Middle Ages)
Medieval Science, Technology, and Medicine: An Encyclopedia (Routledge Encyclopedias of the Middle Ages)
Medieval Iberia: An Encyclopedia (Routledge Encyclopedias of the Middle Ages)
Key Figures in Medieval Europe: An Encyclopedia (Routledge Encyclopedias of the Middle Ages)
Medieval Germany: An Encyclopedia (Routledge Encyclopedias of the Middle Ages)
Medieval Jewish Civilization: An Encyclopedia (Routledge Encyclopedias of the Middle Ages)
Medieval Italy: An Encyclopedia (Routledge Encyclopedias of the Middle Ages)