“Medieval England, 1000-1500: A Reader”, edited by Emilie Amt

520 pages, University of Toronto Press, ISBN-13: 978-1551112442

Medieval England, 1000-1500: A Reader, edited by Emilie Amt (the Hildegarde Pilgram Professor of History at Hood College, Maryland; I knew you’d want to know), is an academic anthology that collects a series of medieval documents and narratives that, together, seek to illuminate the cultural, economic, political and social history of England during the Middle Ages. Be forewarned, however: this is very much an academic history designed for serious students of the Middle Ages and other experts in the field; as such, it is dry and not a little turgid, but if you can wallow through this stuff you’ll (probably) learn something. The subjects range between both secular and clerical, male and female, and rich and poor. Along with such classic texts as the Domesday Book (no, that’s not a misspelling) and Magna Carta (really, you can’t talk about England during the Middle Ages without mentioning Magna Carta), the collection also contains materials on less frequently addressed topics, such as the persecution of Jews and the writings of a number of women, such as Margery of Kempe and Queen Isabella of Angoulême. Again, not for the ignorant or the weak of heart; Medieval England is written for those who already have some knowledge of its topics and are interested in delving deeper yet into its subject matter. If this describes you, well then, have at it; if it doesn’t, then best to stick to the popular history stuff and leave this work to the PhD candidates.