The Civilization of the Middle Ages: A Completely Revised and Expanded Edition of Medieval History, the Life and Death of a Civilization Revised Edition

by Norman F. Cantor (Author)

63 customer reviews

ISBN-13: 978-0060170332

ISBN-10: 0060170336

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[This is the MP3CD audiobook format in vinyl case.]

[Read by Frederick Davidson]

In 1963 Norman F. Cantor published his breakthrough narrative history of the Middle Ages. Here is a significant revision, update, and expansion of that work.

The Civilization of the Middle Ages incorporates newer research and novel perspectives, especially on the foundations of the Middle Ages and the late Middle Ages of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. A sharper focus on social history, Jewish history, women's roles in society, and popular religion and heresy distinguish the book. While the first and last sections of the book are almost entirely new and many additions have been incorporated in the intervening sections, Cantor has retained the powerful narrative flow that made earlier editions so accessible.--This text refers to the MP3 CD edition.

--This text refers to the MP3 CD edition.

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Product Details

Hardcover: 604 pages
Publisher: HarperCollins; Revised edition (1993)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0060170336
ISBN-13: 978-0060170332
Product Dimensions: 1.6 x 6.4 x 9.6 inches
Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (63 customer reviews)
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #773,102 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #3394 in Books > Textbooks > Humanities > History > Europe
- #15379 in Books > History > Europe

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Customer Reviews

3.8 out of 5 stars

5 star		38%
4 star		32%
3 star		8%
2 star		13%
1 star		9%

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

77 of 78 people found the following review helpful

Great Read, Great Overview

By Richard R. Carlton on October 10, 2004

Format: Paperback

The confusion with all of the different opinions on this classic college introductory European medieval history text are clearly due to the differences in the backgrounds of the various readers.

Cantor has produced a book that is absolutely wonderful in it's ability to pull together the twisted history of both major and minor events throughout Europe and relate them to one another. Being able to understand how Papal politics impacted the Germanic Princes and then caused reactions in England and the Low Countries, which then produced French political events that influenced the Papacy.....great stuff when it can all come together like this!

Cantor can read like an enjoyable novel if you have an active interest in the medieval period, he points out the seeds of feminism and does a good job of placing them in the context of the period, he does the same for heresy, piety and the monastic movements, law and politics, the development of monarchism, the growth of the bourgeoisie, and a host of other factors and elements from the middle ages.

There are valid criticisms of his work though....some of his facts are wrong (some he should have know and others have now had additional historical thought added to them)....for example, the Turks taking Constantinople and the details of the death of Thomas a Becket. More serious to me though is the lack of footnotes (which are so essential to credibility that the readability issues must take second consideration) and the total lack of maps to help with orientations (especially important for those not intimately familiar with medieval European geography).

I've created lists that provide Amazon links to Cantor's top 10 medieval books and top 10 films, if you want to continue to follow the syllabus for medieval understanding that he lays out in the book.

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121 of 136 people found the following review helpful

Cantor gets medieval but not ancient society right.

By Graham Henderson on July 5, 2002

Format: Paperback

This is a book you should buy if you wish to understand the Middle Ages. But I must tell you that I was very nearly put off it by the author's tragically flawed understanding of Greek and Roman society. Greek and Roman culture are my areas of interest so I do feel I have some basis upon which to offer this critique.
The fact that his understanding of ancient society is flawed is rather frightening, because, as Cantor himself says, "...the heritage of the ancient world set the conditions for medieval society." So as I waded further into his book it was with considerable trepidation. If he got Greece and Rome so very, very wrong, how on earth could he get the Middle Ages right?
For example, reflect upon this near polemical attack on the Roman educational system (which seems to be to blame for a lot if Cantor is to be believed):
"The Romans were psychologically damaged by their educational system, as evidenced by their violence, aggression, sadism, hostility to women, and other unattractive characteristics. Children were treated badly, indeed, and many of them grew up to be sadomasochists."
It gets better. He goes on to remark that "...vestiges of this system have lived on into the twentieth century. The educational system of the medieval church was based on the Roman, and there were a good many neurotic educated adults within the medieval church."
And what exactly are the characteristics of the Roman educational system that produced this race of monsters? "It is a natural system for an aristocratic society, which needs to train its young people only to accept power handed on to them." The men who taught these benighted children were, and I QUOTE: "often slaves and frequently frustrated, sadistic men."
Wow!!!Read more ›

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24 of 25 people found the following review helpful

Good Introduction to the Middle Ages, but ....

By Jonathan Dirrenberger on January 1, 2002

Format: Paperback

As a newcomer to the history of the Middle Ages, this book was my first in the subject (other than textbooks from college on Western Civilization). I have truly enjoyed it and it has given me a decent overview of the vast era (and he has an excellent list of further reading, including movies!), but it definitely wasn't what I was expecting, as it is more of a narrative than a simple laying out of the facts. Being a narrative has its advantages (it makes for a more interesting read, almost like a novel at times), but it can certainly be confusing. As expected, the book has a general trend of moving chronologically forward from the disintigration of the Roman Empire to the beginnings of the Renaissance, but the subjects are organized more by theme than date, and this can be very confusing for a newcomer to the field. As one reviewer mentioned, not having any maps and some sort of timeline to put everything together is a big problem, something which is really needed to give the book cohesion.
I found the way Cantor introduced the Middle Ages to be highly enlightening. He starts from the late Roman Empire and seamlessly flows into the Middle Ages, so seamlessly that I didn't even realize the "introduction" had ended and that I was now into the Middle Ages. I was expecting it just to start abruptly like most history books, but Cantor spends the first 4-5 chapters developing the background from which the Middle Ages sprung. It makes it clear how hard it is to define the beginning of the Middle Ages (like almost any age of history).
Cantor's style of writing tends to use long, run-on sentences and many different terms for referring to the same concept or idea (have a dictionary handy!), so it sometimes requires more effort than needed to understand what he's saying.Read more ›

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

A Useful and Thought Provoking Book

Norman Cantor's The Civilization of the Middle Ages is a fascinating read and a wonderful resource for the general reader seeking to expand his/her historical knowledge base. Read more

Published 8 months ago by SockPuppet

Broad overview, but very opinionated...

As a broke college student with very little time, I'm very glad my history professor chose a textbook that is cheap and easily readable. Read more

Published 8 months ago by Suzanne

This is one of the most exciting and fascinating books ...

This is one of the most exciting and fascinating books I have ever read.
If you want to understand why we think the way we do, read this book. Read more

Published 10 months ago by Mike G

A great overview of the development of religious and political thought...

The Civilization of the Middle Ages: A Completely Revised and Expanded Edition of Medieval History
I learned too much to write about in detail from this sweeping book of... Read more

Published 12 months ago by JustinHoca

Remarkable for what it is, and is not.

Despite some of the more scathing reviews this is actually a remarkable book both for what it is and what it is not. Read more

Published 12 months ago by Gerard A. Proudfoot

The best book about the Middle Ages.

The best book I've ever read about the Middle Ages. Norman F.Cantor was a very good reseracher.
I recommend it everyone who's interested in this time.

Published 21 months ago by Ramon RaTa

GREAT book

I had the pleasure of being one of Professor Cantor's students a million or so years ago at Barnard College. Read more

Published 24 months ago by Ani

too long to be really useful

Cantor is too detailed at times for the book to serve as a general introduction to the Middle Ages. And you really need to have had some exposure to the topic before you read... Read more

Published on May 9, 2013 by Hopeless with computers

Excellent synopsis

Enjoyed this overview of the Middle Ages immensely. Having read many books that touch on various events and periods within this long span of Western history, it was helpful to... Read more

Published on January 2, 2013 by D. E. Montagne

Disappointing

This book is written in a engaging style that is fascinating and easy to read. I was really looking forward to reading it. Read more

Published on November 24, 2012 by Robgal Robgal