The only thing I can whole-heartedly recommend in his body of work is "The Medieval Reader," which... he edited, he did not write. He suffers from choosing an overly-broad topic for the length of the work contemplated, bad editing and dumbing down for the masses.
That said, when he does get his stride, he is an entertaining writer. And certainly don't trust him for anything he says in the last two books he wrote prior to his death: "In the Wake of the Plague," and "The Last Knight."
Now, changing the subject slightly... William Manchester can DIAF, so to speak. Worst. Medieval. "Scholarly". Author. Evah.
I asked because I was looking at the list of the best books about the middle ages on Good Reads, and Norman Cantor's books had five or six of the top fifty places. I'm going to assume that's because he's 1) prolific, and 2) widely read, and not necessarily a comment on value.
What do you think of Barbara Tuchman? A Distant Mirror was written in the '70s, and I'm wondering how dated it will seem now. The books by Joseph and Frances Gies were written around then, and I've been skimming them lately -- I read most of them in my teens -- and they are striking me as a little dated. I'm not sure what it is, but it's a bit like reading a math textbook from the '50s. I think it might just be that the "cultural voice" has changed, if you know what I mean.
Now, changing the subject slightly... William Manchester can DIAF, so to speak. Worst. Medieval. "Scholarly". Author. Evah.
If you think The Venerable Gieses are a little on the dry side, you will not be able to make it through Tuchman without falling into a coma. Dryyyyyyy. However, she, at least, has her shit togher facts straight
( ... )
Can you tell I've got a lot of waiting to do today? Just 'cuz I'm reading six-month-old blog posts.
From my perspective, the best thing Cantor ever wrote was "Inventing the Middle Ages," in which he outlines the biases that underlie a number of professional schools of thought on the medieval period. Not only can it be helpful in interpreting conclusions reached by other writers, but it's delightfully gossipy in places.
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The only thing I can whole-heartedly recommend in his body of work is "The Medieval Reader," which... he edited, he did not write. He suffers from choosing an overly-broad topic for the length of the work contemplated, bad editing and dumbing down for the masses.
That said, when he does get his stride, he is an entertaining writer. And certainly don't trust him for anything he says in the last two books he wrote prior to his death: "In the Wake of the Plague," and "The Last Knight."
Now, changing the subject slightly... William Manchester can DIAF, so to speak. Worst. Medieval. "Scholarly". Author. Evah.
Reply
I asked because I was looking at the list of the best books about the middle ages on Good Reads, and Norman Cantor's books had five or six of the top fifty places. I'm going to assume that's because he's 1) prolific, and 2) widely read, and not necessarily a comment on value.
What do you think of Barbara Tuchman? A Distant Mirror was written in the '70s, and I'm wondering how dated it will seem now. The books by Joseph and Frances Gies were written around then, and I've been skimming them lately -- I read most of them in my teens -- and they are striking me as a little dated. I'm not sure what it is, but it's a bit like reading a math textbook from the '50s. I think it might just be that the "cultural voice" has changed, if you know what I mean.
Now, changing the subject slightly... William Manchester can DIAF, so to speak. Worst. Medieval. "Scholarly". Author. Evah.
Tell me more! He's in the top 50, too.
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From my perspective, the best thing Cantor ever wrote was "Inventing the Middle Ages," in which he outlines the biases that underlie a number of professional schools of thought on the medieval period. Not only can it be helpful in interpreting conclusions reached by other writers, but it's delightfully gossipy in places.
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That does sound interesting, if only to understand and identify the schools of thought.
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