The problem with the early middle ages is that most History classes tend to speed through it too fast b/c; (1) It's not quite as exciting as the later medieval ages and the Renaissance; and (2) I believe the reason for this is b/c there just isn't as much documentation for the early middle ages.

But, in actuality, there's a lot to the early middle ages and this book is a quick read for those who just want to get a coverage but not a textbook equivalent of the era.

Contents/highlights include: (1) Barbarian invasions which resulted in the fall of the Roman Empire; (2) the ascension of the Franks in Gaul; (3) the continuation of the Roman Empire in the east in Constantinople; (4) the spread of the Roman Catholic Church and all the various orders and sects it formed during the early Middle Ages; (5) Charlemagne's Empire, its dissolution and the Treaty of Verdun; (6) the emergence of feudalism; (7) the Byzantine Empire and the iconoclasts; (8) the spread of Islam and the conquests which followed; includes Mohammed and Mecca, of course; (9) the vikings and their many raids; they were the last of the various barbarian invasions in Europe; and (10) the end of the early Middle Ages.

I recommend this book to people when they want to learn more about the early Middle Ages.

As part of the World History Series, The Renaissance book is appealing to both the first-time learner for its short and accessible overviews but also to the scholar yearning for more detailed insights in the boxed inserts. The appeal and accessibility can be attributed to the format or structure of the book, which is divided into several one or two page subsections. The book can be opened on any page and invite reading in a new section. Many primary sources are used, which greatly surprized me since it is a short book. Black and white illustrations are detailed and appealing.

This pamphlet shows a lot of hard work went into the research of Ace double science fiction books, however there are a few errors in the data such as The Stars are Ours by Andre Norton/Three Paces of Time by Sam Merwin, Jr. is listed as Ace D-119. It is actually Ace D-121. There are nice cross reference lists at the end of the book; cross referencing by author and by title. However, I found that they are not complete. When looking up a few titles I found the titles were not in the list, but are in the main text. I don't think it is worth the $6.95 being asked for it, but being the only one of its kind out there one does not have a choice.