Nonfiction

Number of Pages: 571

Date of Publication: 1991

An engaging and lengthy read detailing the life of Henry VIII and, ultimately, the untimely demise of 1/3 of them. This is my favorite book by Alison Weir, as each chapter is clear and chronological, and provides lots of details on all of Henry VIII's wives while also describing the king's own personal life. As with Weir's other books, The Six Wives of Henry VIII has pictures in the middle, with informative captions that relate clearly to the book. This book is an interesting pre-read for The Children of Henry VIII, also by Alison Weir, as it sets the scene for the following book about his offspring. 

Number of Pages: 346

Date of Publication: 1999

This book is extremely interesting for people who are particularly interested in the strong and dynamic queens of England, as it describes Eleanor's without overshadowing the events of her life by the legacy of her husbands. Again, Alison Weir's style of writing is very clear and engaging, and also provides a detailed depiction of the complicated lives of England's warrior queen. 

Number of Pages: 325

Date of Publication: 1968

An extremely detailed book about the events of the middle ages as a whole, Morris manages to describe an entire period in a meticulous and informative way; however, I find his writing style to be slightly more complex compared to Alison Weir, which is why I have purchased less of his books. Morris includes pictures frequently throughout the book, which are relevant to his writing and interesting to look at while reading. I recommend this book to anyone who has a slightly greater understanding of the middle ages, but wants a more detailed description of the time period from a clear expert. Morris's book is slightly more compact with a smaller font, which allows him to write a fairly short book while also providing detailed accounts of the events in the time period. 

Number of Pages: 296

Date of Publication: 1992

A slightly shorter book, A World Lit Only By Fire is a comprehensive look at life in the medieval era, but mostly focuses on more prominent historical figures during the age, like Da Vinci and Galileo. Manchester uses comparisons to modern times in order to make the time period more relatable to his recent audience, and also includes pictures that allow the reader to remain engaged in the writing. Manchester's book is the perfect read for those who want to learn about historical figures in relation to the age, while also describing significant events, like the Reformation. 

Number of Pages: 510

Date of Publication: 2012

Jones writes an engaging and descriptive book about one of the greatest and well-known dynasties in European history, and also provides helpful maps and diagrams in the beginning in order to help the reader understand the complex history of the Plantagenet house; however, Jones has a slightly less clear method of writing which can be difficult to comprehend at certain points. He also does not include pictures that help orient the reader in the time period unlike the other books, which can lead to a slightly more monotonous read, but at the same time more informative as he has more pages to describe the family history. I recommend this book to those who have a special interest in the Plantagenet House and want to learn more about their family history. 

Number of Pages: 253

Date of Publication: 2019

Describes the history of England's monarchy beginning with William the Conquerer and ending with Queen Elizabeth II. This book can be described as an "adult picture book", as it contains lots of information with complex yet easy to understand writing complimented by dynamic and colorful pictures. Lewis includes interesting facts about weapons and fortresses throughout the book, and combined with the description of the royal family of today, Kings and Queens of England: A Dark History is an interesting read for those who like lots of pictures from and about the medieval and modern eras. I particularly enjoy this book because of its larger size and its informative tone, with interesting facts about England's monarchy throughout. 

Number of Pages: 119

Date of Publication: 2012

This is one of my favorite reads, mostly because of its focus on the plague. I found this to be very interesting because I am passionate about learning about infectious diseases, and I especially find the various plagues throughout European history to be interesting. The book describes plagues throughout history fairly quickly, although the limited number of pages is paired with a smaller text and very detailed summaries of events. Even though this book is short, it is extremely informative and descriptive, and is a good read for those who want a quick yet in depth summary of plague events. 

Number of Pages: 152

Date of Publication: 1984

Another installment of very short introductions, Medieval Britain is a brief yet detailed summary of the history of Britain and the lives of those who lived there. A much more condensed version of Morris Bishop's The Middle Ages, the book gives readers an engaging description of major events and also provides a helpful timeline at the end of the book with specific dates and events. An interesting read for those who want to touch up on their medieval history or for those who want an in-depth summary of events in medieval Britain. 

Number of Pages: 224

Date of Publication: 1965

A shorter, descriptive book about the lives of those who resided in medieval castles. Goes into detail about the history of different types of castles and how they were built, along with other distinctive features. Also describes what people ate, wore, and spent time doing. I recommend this book to those who are less interested in specific monarchs and more interested in the daily lives and activities of people living in castles. There are also other books written by the same authors, titled Life in a Medieval Village and Life in a Medieval City. This book focuses on Chepstow Castle, Wales, and discusses many aspects of life in the castle, like how the King and Queen lived, where they lived, the history of the castle and its many parts, and also the people that contributed to daily life surrounding the castle. The castle and village hierarchy is described in depth and helps the reader better understand the politics of the time period. 

Number of Pages: 274

Date of Publication: 1969

A nonfiction book that describes different aspects of the average medieval city, such as the roles of different inhabitants like doctors, and the roles of different establishments, like the local church. It also describes the hierarchy that ruled medieval cities and the cities' relationship with the lord of the land. Like Life in a Medieval Castle, Life in a Medieval City helped inspire A Game of Thrones author George R. R. Martin for the setting of his story. I particularly enjoy the ample photos throughout the book that help ground the reader and make them feel like they are truly living in a medieval city. This book is a great read for someone who just finished Life in a Medieval Castle. I found the Gies' writing style to be very engaging and not at all tedious to read. It wasn't too formal, yet the information presented within the chapters was interesting and extensive. 

Number of Pages: 914

Date of Publication: 1978

A well known book to many medieval scholars, A Distant Mirror is a comprehensive look at medieval monarchies and life in the 14th century. The book explores the medieval histories of different western European countries like England and France, Tuchman also describes the histories of the countries' monarchies. As a younger medieval reader, I found this book to be slightly tedious to read due to its length and Tuchman's writing style, but if read in pieces and at a slower pace, the information given by Tuchman is very extensive. Tuchman writes in a very detailed, formal way, but manages to fit lots of information in the 914 pages. 

Number of Pages: 342

Date of Publication: 2008

A Time Traveler's Guide To Medieval England is likely the most comprehensive and best written book about medieval England that I have read so far. Mortimer does a fantastic job of describing every aspect of daily life in the Middle Ages of the people of all social classes: the clergy, the villagers, the nobility, etc. The book is extremely well organized and written in an original and engaging way, addressing the reader in the second person. It places the reader directly in the midst of medieval society and provides helpful statistics, descriptions, and pictures throughout. This is by far the best written and most engaging book about medieval England and is perfect for someone who wants to read something comprehensive and in depth, while also presented in an organized and easily understood way. I would recommend this book to anyone, and not just those who are interested in medieval England. 

Number of Pages: 257

Date of Publication: 1990

Once again, the Gies brothers present an engaging and well written overview of the lives of those who lived in medieval English villages. The book describes the lives of those who lived in the village of Elton, and day to day operations there. It also goes into detail as to how tasks in the village were divided up, daily occurrences, holidays, etc. I think this book is the perfect conclusion to the Life in a Medieval City and Life in a Medieval Castle trio and would recommend this to anyone who read the first two installments, or as a stand alone. However, although the three books by the Gies brothers are not connected, it is definitely more beneficial and improved comprehension to read all three. I love these books and I think out of all the authors I have read, the Gies' are the most talented at breaking down the complexities of medieval society in a meaningful and understandable way. 

Number of pages: 319

Date of Publication: 1969

Although I may be presenting from a slightly biased perspective as my favorite genre of medieval history book is infectious disease history and the ravages of the Black Plague of the 14th century, I still believe that this was an extremely well written, engaging book. Although it does come off as slightly less detailed as a similar book The Great Mortality by John Kelly, it presents a larger of the Black Death and its origins and does provide lots of firsthand accounts from various medieval sources. It also does a good job painting a picture of the various perspectives of Dark Age thought, addressing different theories of the cause of the Black Plague outbreak and its form of contagion. I would recommend reading this book before starting The Great Mortality as it provides a wider perspective on the time period and the effects of the plague, allowing the former to provide greater depth. This book was very well written, and although some parts did come off as slightly dry I felt that I stayed engaged throughout the story. 

Number of Pages: 400

Date of Publication: 2005

This has been one of my all-time favorite reads in addition to The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Alison Weir. It has been one of the best renditions of the history of the bubonic plague outbreak in 14th century Europe and does a very good job of making the infectious disease science side accessible to all readers. It serves as a good overview and even better-detailed analysis of what made the Black Plague so destructive in the first place, and its relevance to today. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in science, and especially to those interested in medical history or the history of infectious disease, a that is particularly relevant in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic of the 2020s. Overall an engaging, dynamic book that is incredibly accessible to any audience, regardless of interest or background knowledge. 

Number of pages:181

Date of publication: 2021

Although relatively short, The Battle of Hastings goes into extreme depth about the history of Anglo-Saxon England and European politics during the 1st century. Instead of detailing only the Battle of Hastings, this book describes the events leading up to the battle and a short synopsis of what occurred immediately following the battle. I usually prefer biographies of medieval leaders over books about singular battles, but The Battle of Hastings provides a detailed image of what 1st century England was like, as well as the successes of individual kings. At the end I felt like I had learned a significant amount about one of the most notorious battles in medieval European history and fully understood the events leading up to it that shaped England. I would recommend this book to those who enjoy reading about specific battles due to the detailed nature of the novel, but not to those who like to learn about broad history and other aspects of medieval life besides warfare and politics. 

Number of pages: 496

Date of publication: 2011

A good contrast to traditional historical nonfiction books, She Wolves explores a part of English history that many historians fail to bring attention to. Female rulers are often depicted in history and in literature as ruthless or meek, submissive or aggressive, promiscuous or prude, but never as individuals with their own character. Castor allows each leader of England to shine, painting a powerful image of the history of England leading up to its most notorious female ruler, Queen Elizabeth I. She details each woman's early life and triumphs and failures as leaders and brings a different perspective to female leadership. I enjoyed reading this book not just for the broad history of England it provides but also for the in depth analysis of each woman in an unbiased way. I would recommend this novel to anyone who is interested in deepening their history knowledge from a perspective that is not usually explored by traditional historians. 

Number of pages: 301

Date of Publication: 2015

Originally, I purchased this book from a museum in my hometown as a light read of Tudor daily life, but as I continued through the chapters realized that this book by Ruth Goodman is delightfully detailed. Each chapter consists of a different detail of the average Tudor-era lifestyle, like types of windows and different types of beds. This book truly lives up to the name of being a "Dawn-to-dusk" guide to Tudor life, and I would highly recommend reading it in conjunction with a more general overview of Tudor society in order to gain a full picture of what it was truly like to live during this period. Many facts and small details I had never read before in a nonfiction history book, and Goodman managed to include so many in 300 pages without sacrificing quality. I would recommend to those who are interested in more specific parts of everyday life, or those who really strive to feel like they are part of a Tudor village. It may not be as well suited for those who have less background knowledge on the era or those who are interested in reading a more general guide. Overall, this book was a fascinating read, and probably in my top 10 favorite nonfiction medieval English history books. 

Number of pages: 280

Date of publication: 2017

The organization of this book is fairly unique in that each chapter features a different British castle. As a fan of the documentary series "Secrets of Great British Castles" I was eager to get my hands on a book version of the series. This novel delivered exactly what it promised: each chapter was an extremely detailed, comprehensive look at select British castles, especially the particularly notorious castles in Britain. Although it could be dull during some parts, I found this to be an interesting read, especially because I am interested in architecture. Medieval war strategy was explored briefly in each chapter, including the function of castles in daily life. I would recommend this book to those who may not have lots of background knowledge on British castles, or to those who want to supplement the TV series "Secrets of Great British Castles" (although the author of this book and the host of the series are not the same people). 

Number of pages: 383

Date of publication: 2020

The White Ship by Charles Spencer chronicles the history of William the Conquer's sons and their journey to power during the 11th century. Fairly long, this book was extremely detailed and time period specific. I would recommend this book only to those who have a specific interest in the Norman conquest of Anglo Saxon England the ensuing power struggle.

Number of pages: 251

Date of publication: 2023

This book explores gender roles in medieval Europe and the history of sex and sexuality in medieval society. This book had a delightful quirky, slightly satirical tone that made the plot extremely captivating to read. This would make it to my top five list of medieval studies books due to the interesting topics covered and the connection to other parts of society like religion and science. I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in gender studies or gender roles throughout history. 

Number of pages: 571

Date of Publication: 2022

Because I had just recently finished The Once and Future Sex, approaching another book about love and sexuality in the late medieval era was something that excited me, however the way this book was written made the subject a little dry in my opinion. The book was quite long, and some parts seemed to drag, but I found the excerpts about the history of the culture around love and sexuality in the Tudor era to be the most interesting and engaging to read about.  However, this review will be slightly biased as I am not as interested in learning about politics as I am learning about social science and culture, although they do go hand in hand throughout this novel. For those who are captivated by the political sphere of Tudor England I would recommend this book, as exploring how something as emotional and abstract as love can impact politics and English history could be extremely interesting. 

Number of pages: 416

Date of publication: 2007

I originally purchased this book as I plan to visit one of the most iconic British towns for medievalists, York, this fall and wanted to learn more about its history prior to my arrival. Although it had lots of history to cover, from Roman conquest to the modern age, I found this to be a very compelling and comprehensive novel about the origins and development of York. It was also a very detailed accompaniment to the "Great British Castles" documentary series, which covers York Castle in one of its episodes. I think this book was easier to digest due to the fact that I already possessed some background knowledge on the history of York before reading, but it would still be a very comprehensive introduction and overview for those who would like to learn. 

Number of pages: 416

Date of Publication: 1998

I decided to read this book because one of my favorite series about life in medieval England is written by the Gies'. I enjoyed reading this standalone because it explores such a niche aspect of medieval history, and I was surprised to find out how detailed and meticulous the book actually is. Not only does it explore family life in medieval England, it also compares and contrasts to other places including Italy and France. There were a lot of descriptions of the tie in to Christianity and religion related to family life in medieval times, as well as ties to the monarchy and nobility. I would recommend this book to people who want to read about a specific aspect of medieval life that is not commonly explored, although I would say the full "life in a ___" series is much better written and slightly more interesting in my opinion. I felt that this book was a little bit more dull, although I think that may have been caused by the incredible detail. 

Number of pages: 336

Date of publication: 2021

The Bright Ages was a much more artfully written book than I am used to in the nonfiction genre. There was much deeper detail in religion and lifestyle in different parts of medieval Europe, and more frequent use of metaphors and other creative literary techniques. I thought the book was well written and extremely detailed, while also contrasting stylistically with other nonfiction medieval studies books I've read in the past. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a different type of nonfiction novel and enjoys a more sophisticated style of writing. 

Number of pages: 272

Date of publication: 2002

In the Wake of the Plague is an extremely detailed study of the spread and effects of the plague outbreak. It follows the various theories of the cause as well as its implications for modern infectious disease, although I did notice that there is some conflicting information in regards to the details of the outbreak between this book and more recent black plague nonfiction books. It explores various aspects of medieval society that were impacted by the plague and had a very accessible style of writing that made it easy to understand. I would recommend this book as a detailed exploration of the black plague, although for first time plague explorers I would recommend a more recent publication before this one due to the discrepancy in information. 

Number of Pages: 640

Date of Publication: 2022

This was an extremely dense and time consuming read, although not in a negative way. The book focused much more deeply on economics and society, which was an interesting change from the more scientific history oriented Black Plague books I have read in the past. Additionally, the book also included the 17th century plague outbreaks through Europe in a much more in depth way compared to other books which I thought was a pleasant addition in order to provide contrast to the 14th century, medieval outbreaks. I felt that at the end, I knew much more about medieval society as a whole and not just in Europe. I would recommend this book only to those who have already read plague books in the past and have a solid background, as this novel goes much more deeply into society and culture rather than giving an overview of the outbreaks themselves. 

Number of Pages: 433

Date of Publication: 2023

I really enjoyed this book! It may end up on my top reads list in 2025. Although can be long and dense, Mitchell's narrative tone makes it not at all tedious. He is quite funny and adds his own quips within the text that makes it more entertaining to read. In addition, the book is highly detailed and works all the way through history beginning at pre-Norman conquest Anglo-Saxon England. It was very comprehensive which I enjoyed but the aspect of the book which I found to be the most memorable was the author's voice- it was extremely unique compared to other books in the genre that I have read! It perfectly reflects the changing landscape of nonfiction and the modern tone of voice that keeps readers engaged, making it more accessible. I think his tone is a welcome addition to the nonfiction medieval history genre.