“Let’s get serious here – but not dull. You don’t have to be in love with the past to be riveted by this fact-filled look at the vibrant time period some us still call the “Dark Ages,” …every page has something interesting – timelines, beautiful pictures, maps and sidebar tidbits, …This hefty book will feed brains depleted by too many ... Read morebutter cookies.” –St Paul Pioneer Press   “This book is beautifully and lavishly illustrated with period art, architecture, documents, maps, artifacts and sculpture, as well as photographs of specific locations…a feast for the eyes…Given the scope and the beauty of its pages, this book would be ideal for the historian in the family.” –Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Show Less