Life in the Middle Ages
A Mini-Bibliography of Nonfiction Books for Young Adults
To order any of these titles, contact the library by email, mail or phone. You may also request these titles online through our OPAC. Happy Reading!
Age of Faith: A History of Medieval Civilization (Christian, Islamic, andJudaic) from Constantine to Dante, A.D. 325-1300 by Will Durant.
RC 9865.
Part IV of The Story of Civilization. Integrates economic, political, legal, artistic and scientific aspects of the medieval period. Adult reading level.
The Dream and the Tomb by Robert Payne.
RC 20837.
History of the eight Crusades, from 1095 to 1270, centers around famous leaders such as Saladin and Richard the Lion Heart. Evokes the fiery zeal of both Christian and Muslim participants as well as the brutality, greed, and internal struggles that tinged the holy expeditions. Adult reading level.
Europe and the Middle Ages by Edward Peters.
RC 29915.
This study of European history from ancient Greece and Rome through the end of the medieval period covers the lives, values, and culture of ordinary people, as well as the achievements of rulers. Peters relates how this civilization became the foundation of the Western world. Adult reading level.
Everyday Life in Medieval Times by Majorie Rowling.
RC 29583.
The author looks at the life of people of all classes and occupations who lived and worked between the time of Charlemagne and the coming of the Renaissance. The list includes lords and vassals, monks and friars, builders and artists, doctors and patients, and pilgrims and crusaders. Adult reading level.
Exploring the Past: The Middle Ages by Catherine Oakes.
RC 35565.
The Middle Ages refers to the period in history between the Roman Empire and the Renaissance (from about A.D. 500 to about A.D. 1500). This book details what life was like during the medieval period. Chapters include "The Arts and Learning," "Religion," and "The Wider World." Some violence. For grades 6-9 and older readers.
Inventing the Middle Ages: The Lives, Works and Ideas of the Great Medievalists of the Twentieth Century by Norman F. Cantor.
RC 36850.
The medievalist, professor, and author analyzes twentieth-century notions of what the Middle Ages were like and profiles the lives and works of the men who formed modern ideas of that period. Among those represented are C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Ernst Kantorowicz, Marc Bloch, David Knowles, Joseph Strayer, Frederic Maitland, and Erwin Panofsky. Adult reading level.
Life in a Medieval Castle by Joseph Gies.
BR 2865.
Detailed picture of daily life at an eleventh-century English fortress. Describes the clothing, food, sports, and customs of the gentry and villagers. Adult reading level.
The Middle Ages by Dorothy Mills.
RC 9471.
A recreation of the period from 300 to 1500 uses contemporary chronicles to illuminate the church, Charlemagne, the Vikings, chivalry and feudalism, the Crusades, science and magic, trade, and government. Adult reading level.
Mont-Saint-Michel and Chartres by Henry Adams.
RC 24305.
Classic study of the philosophy and religion of the Middle Ages as expressed in literature and art and especially in the architecture of the French cathedrals of Chartres and Mont-Saint-Michel. Adult reading level.
Queen Eleanor, Independent Spirit of the Medieval World: A Biography of Eleanor of Aquitaine by Polly Schoyer Brooks.
RC 22603.
Colorful account of a strong queen and the world of the twelfth century. Eleanor was a political powerhouse as wife of two kings and mother of two others; yet she was also queen of the troubadours and the center of a refined courtwhere music, poetry, and love flourished. For junior and senior high and adult readers.
Sir Walter Raleigh and the Quest for El Dorado by Marc Aronson.
RC 51920.
Biography of the adventurous English explorer and courtier of Queen Elizabeth I. Describes the numerous expeditions to the New World in search of a golden kingdom and how courtpolitics determined his fortunes. For junior and senior high readers.
The Story of the Crusades, 1097-1291 by Alfred Leo Duggan.
RC 16502.
Factual account of the Crusades. Deals with strategy, tactics, and weapons, and explains why the Crusaders ultimately failed in their mission. Adult reading level.
The Waning of the Middle Ages by Johan Huizinga.
RC 41199.
Huizinga believes people too often look at the end of an era as the dawn of another, rather than as the termination of itself. Using religious and secular art, poetry, and literature of the Middle Ages, Huizinga shows that period's strange contrasts and analyzes its effect on the twentieth century. Adult reading level.