Geoffrey Barraclough (1908–1984)

Very good, very concise history of the period- I've been trying to work out exactly what happened in the 9th and 10th centuries from other bad, flabby books. I should have started with this one. Barraclough tells a good narrative when he needs to, deals with important historical cruces when it seems worthwhile, and the book has lots of nice pictures. Be aware that this isn't social history or cultural history: it's about the big names (I mean, they're not that big. They didn't get called the show more Dark Ages for nothing) and how power was taken, imposed and lost. But in 160 odd pages, what more could you want? Livelier prose, maybe? A little more on the growth of the Eastern European states? A little less on the origins of British political units? Well yes.
Geez I'm hard to please. show less

The brief text accompanying each set of maps isn't enough to provide much context, and the maps themselves consist mostly of arrows pointing in all directions showing routes on invasions, etc. Nor are they particularly attractive maps to begin with. This book can be of some use while you are reading history (e.g., The Silk Roads by Peter Frankopan), but overall it is poorly designed and mostly a disappointment.

This 1982 publication takes world history up to 1980. If it has a fault, it is that it actually not concise enough. Each two-page set in the oversized book covers the work or a region and generally multiple decades. The detail of text, maps, and legends had me bringing a bright light and magnifying glass to try and absorb the minutiae. This is tiresome reading and the glossy pages are given to glare.

Still, this is an excellent start for historical research into pre-1980 topics.

Quite possibly the most boring book ever written, however it is extremely useful in learning the discipline of historiography.