What medieval history books are you reading?

September 2026

Over to you

Last time, I wrote about what I was reading; this time I'm curious to know what *you* are reading. As a public historian, I'm passionate about communicating academic expertise to the broadest possible audience and I know how many great popular history books on the medieval past there are being produced these days (as well as some not-so-great ones). There are so many, in fact, that it can be hard to choose! That's one of many reasons I love the book reviews section of the magazine - it's useful for readers and for me to see how this work is being done and how it's being received.

I wanted to focus on this for two reasons: firstly, because we have two excellent reviews in the upcoming issue that I hope you'll enjoy. And, secondly, because I want to remind you of the opportunity! Reviews from readers are incredibly valuable to everyone: authors, fellow readers, and the editorial team. You can always contact me (here) to propose a review of a recent book you've read or to request a pdf copy of a new book that you'd like to review. I can't guarantee I can get you one but I'll always ask.

To get your juices flowing, here are some books we currently have available for review:

Ravinder S. Binning, The Medieval Art of Fear
Michelle P. Brown, Illumino: A History of Medieval Britain in 12 Illuminated Manuscripts
Fergus Cannan, The Gaelic World at War: Soldiers and Soldiering in Ireland 1366-1547
Delia Cortese, The Fatimids: Portrait of a Dynasty
Michael Fredholm, Fall of the Merchant-Farmer Republic
Lindy Grant, Eleanor of Aquitaine: Woman, Queen and Legend
Michael Livingston, Bloody Crowns: A New History of the Hundred Years War
James Palmer, Charlemagne's Dream
Yossef Rapoport, Becoming Arab: The Formation of Arab Identity in the Medieval Middle East
Frank Reiss, The Scroll of Obadiah
Karen Sullivan, Introducing the Medieval Bear