An economic and social history of later medieval Europe, 1000-1500 /

Epstein's book is informative and broad in scope, including coverage of the Byzantine Empire, Muslim jurisdictions, slavery, marriage customs, women in trade, and the fate of Jews. After treating Carolingian Europe, Epstein (Univ. of Kansas) describes the tenth-century crisis. He then examines social and economic subjects (e.g., agriculture and farming, the emergence of feudal society, trade routes, and social and economic thought) from ca. 1000 to the mid-14th century. The catastrophes (famine and plague) of the 14th century wrought profound changes, although some had begun earlier. Epstein's discussion of post-plague technological improvements, with valuable illustrations, is very informative, as is his account of the expense and violence of warfare and continuing social unrest in late medieval Europe. This is an excellent survey, but some of the earlier chapters could have been improved by including a little more political history. The text also suffers from occasional subpar editing. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. C. L. Hamilton formerly, Simon Fraser University