The Evolution of the Medieval World: Society, Government & Thought in Europe 312-1500

During my recent university career, I took courses in Medieval politics, History of Art, Philosophy, Religious Studies and Social History - and the book which I turned to time and time again in ALL my studies was David Nicholas' "Evolution of the Medieval World." Glancing at my bookshelf, I see that I have close to 100 books concerning The Middle Ages, yet it is Nicholas' work I always reach for FIRST. Written clearly and comprehensively, Nicholas has sub-divided all his themes into easy-to-find headings and sub-headings, and there is NOTHING he hasn't covered in his quest to make the history of Medieval Europe easy to grasp on both an academic and 'fun' level. David Nicholas' understanding and sympathy with his period is right up there with more 'famous' Medievalists such as Umberto Eco, and for anyone either studying the Middle Ages or just interested in history in general, "The Evolution of the Medieval World" is an absolute 'must-have'.