A review of "Medieval Western Civilization and the Byzantine and Islamic Worlds" by Deno John Geanakoplos
This is a relatively good but basic book on medieval
European history, probably intended for introductory college classes. The last
chapter deals with the Italian Renaissance. The book does have one unusual
trait. The author (a Greek-American scholar) treats the Byzantine Empire as an
integrated part of European history, rather than as a peculiar sideshow. While
I'm not a great admirer of the East Roman and Byzantine Empires, this approach
is quite correct. It hardly comes as a surprise to learn that Geanakoplos was a
leading scholar in Byzantine studies! If you already know a lot about medieval
history, including its more Byzantine aspects, this volume probably contains
little new information, but if you are a college student or very astute high
school student, this might be just what you were looking for…
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