Allmand, Christopher. The Hundred Years War: England and France at War, ca. 1300–1450, rev. ed. 2005. Designed for students; examines the war from political, military, social, and economic perspectives and compares the way England and France reacted to the conflict.

Bartlett, Robert. The Making of Europe: Conquest, Colonization and Cultural Change, 950–1350. 1993. A broad survey of many of the developments traced in this chapter.

Bennett, Judith M. A Medieval Life: Cecelia Penifader of Brigstock, c. 1297–1344. 1998. An excellent brief introduction to all aspects of medieval village life from the perspective of one woman; designed for students.

Brooke, Rosalind, and Christopher Brooke. Popular Religion in the Middle Ages. 1984. A readable synthesis of material on the beliefs and practices of ordinary Christians.

Epstein, Steven A. An Economic and Social History of Later Medieval Europe, 1000–1500. 2009. Examines the most important themes in European social and economic history, with a wide geographic sweep.

Glick, Leonard B. Abraham’s Heirs: Jews and Christians in Medieval Europe. 1999. Provides information on many aspects of Jewish life and Jewish-Christian relations.

Herlihy, David. The Black Death and the Transformation of the West, 2d ed. 1997. A fine treatment of the causes and cultural consequences of the disease that remains the best starting point for study of the great epidemic.

Janin, Hunt. The University in Medieval Life, 1179–1499. 2008. An overview of medieval universities designed for general readers.

Kaeuper, Richard W. Chivalry and Violence in Medieval Europe. 2006. Examines the role chivalry played in promoting violent disorder.

Madden, Thomas. The New Concise History of the Crusades. 2005. A highly readable brief survey by the pre-eminent American scholar of the Crusades.

Sawyer, Peter, ed. The Oxford Illustrated History of the Vikings. 1997. A sound account of the Vikings by an international team of scholars.

Shahar, Shulamit. The Fourth Estate: A History of Women in the Middle Ages, 2d ed. 2003. Analyzes attitudes toward women and provides information on the lives of a variety of women, including nuns, peasants, noblewomen, and townswomen.

Shinners, John. Medieval Popular Religion, 1000–1500, 2d ed. 2006. An excellent collection of a wide variety of sources that provide evidence about the beliefs and practices of ordinary Christians.

Spufford, Peter. Power and Profit: The Merchant in Medieval Europe. 2003. A comprehensive history of medieval commerce, designed for general readers; includes many illustrations.

Tuchman, Barbara. A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous Fourteenth Century. 1978. A vivid description of this tumultuous time written for a general audience.