The Library of Medieval Times. San Diego: Reference Point Press, 2015. 80p. $193.00 series. $38.60 individual title. Gr. 6-12.
Allman, Toney. Medieval Medicine and Disease. 978-1-60152-656-4.
Currie, Stephen. Medieval Punishment and Torture. 978-1-60152-658-8.
Kallen, Stuart A. Medieval Food and Customs. 978-1-60152-718-9.
Nardo, Don. Medieval Knights and Chivalry. 978-1-60152-636-6.
Nardo, Don. Medieval Warfare. 978-1-60152-682-3.
The Library of Medieval Times is a great addition to any nonfiction collection. This 5-title series highlights various aspects of medieval history and living from torture to medicine to warfare and food, while providing various primary source documentation to support explanations and understanding of this period in history. The focus of each text is of great interest to students, especially the title about punishment and torture, and provides information not only to increase understanding of the medieval ages but also for further research. Each individual text includes a timeline, chapters to further focus on specific aspects of the main topic, “Source Notes”, and “For Further Research”, a section providing books and websites for students to explore. This series is a great source for world history research or comparative research in world cultures classes.
Medieval History Erin Parkinson, Lincoln JSHS, Ellwood City
Each year our world cultures classes complete a required research paper. One teacher requires a specific topic for research, while the other teacher tells students their paper has to deal with something pertaining to the world. In other words…anything (as long as it didn’t happen in the United States). This makes gathering sources for students, and collection development, much more challenging because topics change from class to class and year to year. The Library of Medieval Times was a great addition to our collection for this year’s assignment. Many students enjoy the idea of knights and medieval history, but we lacked appropriate sources. This series breaks apart medieval times into easy, accessible topics which helps students better focus their research and writing. This is a great series to add for world history research. It is available both in print and eBook format.