Quote Originally Posted by fomalhaut View Post
im not sure if your being sarcastic or not, but here is this

http://www.amazon.com/Medieval-World...tt_at_ep_dpi_2

but two reviews but they sum it up
Cool. Yeah, was going for the satirical view there.

Bartlett's The Making of Europe is alright. Making a Living in the Middle Ages: The People of Britain 850-1520 by Dyer is interesting (though dense) if you're into the production/economy of the time. The Formation of a Persecuting Society: Authority and Deviance in Western Europe 950-1250 by Moore is interesting to see how that anti-<insert identity category here> fervor came about. The Two Cities: Medieval Europe 1050-1320 by Barber is also a good general text for this period and region. I would say it differs from Bartlett in that Bartlett's is a good read for looking into mainland European expansion to the east (as opposed to the failed crusader states). These certainly aren't everyday, casual texts, although I'd argue these are for the most part (except Dyer and perhaps Moore) really intelligible by your John Doe.