Buildings and Landmarks of Medieval Europe: The Middle Ages Revealed

Tschen-Emmons, PhD, an educator, researcher, and former special collections librarian and manuscript curator for the Maryland Historical Society, tackles structures of the Middle Ages. Divided by type of architecture—civil, commercial, craft, domestic, fortification, religious, and funerary—the 45 entries list some famous edifices, but most are lesser known. The writing is clear, with enough detail to make the text comprehensible to those with little background knowledge. Each summary is accompanied by a large black-and-white photograph (and some contain drawings), followed by an introduction and description, including key statistics and further information (with both print and online resources). A time line, starting with the fifth century and ending in 1509, helps put the buildings in their historical context. While the majority of constructs are in mainland Europe, some are in the British Isles, Iceland, and the Middle East. This title has some overlap with Matthew Bunson's Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages, George Holmes's Oxford Illustrated History of Medieval Europe, and Richard Barber's Penguin Guide to Medieval Europe. Angus Konstan's Atlas of Medieval Europe covers several of the same buildings, but its format is not as accessible.