"The Hundred Years War"

The Hundred Years War: The English in Frace 1337-1453 (Desmond Seward)

In contrast to the monstrous history books I usually read, this book is positively bite-sized; You get the whole history of the (slightly over) 100 years war from a god's eye view. Seward never stops unnecessarily, and as a result the book never bogs down. Since the roses are never stopped and smelled, you may not be too pleased when famous persons or battles are ushered onstage, dealt with, and shuffled off instead of being investigated further, but I liked this approach. I'd view this as a book to read to get a basic grounding (or even to see if you're interested in the time period), and after reading it, you can move on to more specific books covering whatever you're interested in, or a more in-depth history of the war itself.

Grade: B+