Started: March 19
Finished: March 25
Notes: This book is an example of why I love used book stores so much, especially antiquarian book stores. It's highly unlikely I would have ever discovered this book in a regular book store. And that's part of the fun of used book stores, the discovery, finding an interest in a book you didn't even know existed. This book was originally published in 1976, so it's probably outdated concerning historical research, but it should still have some interesting historical information, at least interesting to me.
Mini review: This book was written quite well, the style of writing not boring at all despite the fact some might find the subject matter not overly exciting. I, however, did find a lot of enjoyment in the subject matter, and it opened my eyes more than before about how the supposed Dark Ages were really more of a time of scientific, economic, and even psychological growth than the period is generally credited. Here are covered such devices as water mills, wind mills, bridges and the like, but these are really just the basics. Military armaments aren't covered intensively, but they are brought up, especially cannons. The second half of this book leans away from the technological aspects of the period and turns its focus more towards the general attitudes and to some extent the economics of the times. Anyone who still believes the Middle Ages were a dull, dark period of stupidity and barbarity alone should read this book to catch a glimpse of a more complex time than is generally believed.
No comments:
Post a Comment