Book Reviews

This page has a summary of the book reviews that I’ve posted to this blog. For those who are interested, I have several reviews up on Amazon which you can read through this link. Most of these reviews are also up on Library Thing at this link. I’m uncertain if non-LT members can read these. The LT reviews aren’t always 100% identical – I entered these on Library Thing after, quite frequently, I posted them to Amazon and may have changed a few details if I learned a bit more about a topic – I do not change my reviews, once they’re posted, after a week or so because part of the enjoyment of reading these for me is to see how my thoughts or knowledge level may have changed over the years.

The blog reviews linked below will take two forms. One will be a more formalized review. The other will be more in the form of general (sometimes more specific) comments about a book. Quite often I write a few comments after reading a book with the thought that I may write a full-on review later – sometimes I get this done, sometimes not. I’ve listed the date of the review and whether I consider it to be formal or if it’s more in the form of comments. If I write a later formal review I’ll delete the comment link from this page – I’ll refer to the comments within the review anyway. I’m not going to rate these books – you should be able to figure out what I think of them from the review.

If you are a publisher interested in having a review published on this blog, please e-mail me for additional information.

Medieval History Geek Book Reviews

• Book Review, posted November 17, 2011: Frakes, Robert M., Digeser, Elizabeth DePalma and Stephens, Justin, eds., The Rhetoric of Power in Late Antiquity: Religion and Politics in Byzantium and the Early Islamic World
• Book Comments, posted October 30, 2011: Hagith Sivan, Galla Placidia: The Last Roman Empress
• Book Review, posted October 23, 2011: Nicholas Everett, Literacy in Lombard Italy, c. 568-774
• Book Comments, posted August 13, 2011: William A. Johnson, Readers and Reading Culture in the High Roman Empire: A Study of Elite Communities
• Book Review, posted August 6, 2011: Ralph W. Mathisen and Danuta Shanzer, eds., Romans, Barbarians and the Transformation of the Roman World
• Book Comments, posted June 19, 2011: Peter Heather, Empires and Barbarians This is a follow-up to my February 21, 2010 comments.
• Book Review, posted March 27, 2011: Walton, Steven A., ed, Wind & Water in the Middle Ages: Fluid Technologies from Antiquity to the Renaissance
• Book Comments, posted March 20, 2011: Pollington, Stephen, Leechcraft: Early English Charms, Plant Lore, and Healing
• Book Comments, posted March 5, 2011: Filotas, Bernadette, Pagan Survivals, Superstitions and Popular Culture in Early Medieval Pastoral Literature
• Book Review, posted January 29, 2011: Rosenwein, Barbara H., A Short History of the Middle Ages
• Book Review, posted December 25, 2010: Bowes, Kim, Private Worship, Public Values, and Religious Change in Late Antiquity
• Book Comments, posted September 25, 2010: Effros, Bonnie, Merovingian Mortuary Archaeology and the Making of the Early Middle Ages
• Book Review, posted September 12, 2010: Jones, Allen E., Social Mobility in Late Antique Gaul: Strategies and Opportunities for the Non-Elite
• Book Review published in The Heroic Age, Issue 13: Davis, Jennifer R. and McCormick, Michael, eds., The Long Morning of Medieval Europe: New Directions in Early Medieval Studies
• Book Comments, posted August 22, 2010: Innes, Matthew, State and Society in the Early Middle Ages: The Middle Rhine Valley 400-100
• Book Comments, posted June 6, 2010: James, Edward, The Franks and Davies, Wendy, Small Worlds: The Village Community in Early Medieval Brittany
• Book Review, posted May 1, 2010: Dignas, Beate and Winters, Engelbert, Rome and Persia in Late Antiquity: Neighbors and Rivals
• Book Review, posted April 25, 2010: Lester K. Little, ed., Plague and the End of Antiquity: The Pandemic of 541-750
• Book Review, posted April 12, 2010: Roger S. Bagnall, ed., Egypt in the Byzantine World, 300-700
• Book Review, posted April 2, 2010: William Manchester, A World Lit Only by Fire
• Book Comments, posted March 21, 2010: Chris Wickham, The Inheritance of Rome
• Book Comments (partial but detailed), posted February 21, 2010: Peter Heather, Empires and Barbarians
• Book Comments, posted February 6, 2010: Salvian the Presbyter, O’Sullivan, trans., On the Governance of God
• Book Comments, posted January 30, 2010: Juan Martinez Pizarro, The Story of Wamba – I have a more comprehensive review on Amazon which you can read by following this link.