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Rating: 
Summary: Medieval Civilization
Review: I attempted to read the English version. I found the style of the writing made it very difficult to follow. I am a patent attorney, so I am accustomed to reading cryptic and hard-to-follow writings. I stopped reading this one after 36 pages.
Rating: 
Summary: The Curse of European Academic Writing - But Still Worth It
Review: If you've ever toiled through a Ferdinand Braudel tome you have an idea of what reading Le Goff is like - so badly structured that you think every page is a non-sequiter - but each of those pages is filled with incredible insight and gems of information. If it wasn't for what I call 'the Curse of European Academic Writing' (don't blame the translator - they're all this bad in their native languages) I'd have given this book five stars. But despite the difficult writing style, if you are interested in the medieval mind and the civilization that grew from it, this book is more than worth your time and effort.Le Goff takes the reader across that incredable gulf that separates the worldviews of our time and medieval europe. One of the great barriers to understanding medieval europe is that their worldview, or core memes, were so foreign from our's that the actions of kings and peasants appear irrational. Le Goff explains the dark and pessimistic, though still extremely dynamic, thought of the age with precision and empathy. Le Goff works through the transition from the classical world of Rome and Germanic/Celtic tribalism. He makes heavy use of symbolism of the age to illuminate the transition of thinking, conceptual models and institutions. The biggest drawback of this book is that the reader has to have a base of knowledge of the region and the period. Le Goff provides very little background but jumps right into the heart of times. If you want to really learn about the medieval age, not just knights and kings, you should definantly read this book -- but this aint no beach reading.
Rating: 
Summary: A masterpiece
Review: This is perhaps the most important and influential book on the Middle Ages on the market right now. Written clearly in the good traditions of the Annales school, it is more of a sociological study into the society of the Middle ages. So, if you want the usual narrative about what happened when, then perhaps this is not the book for you. However, as an insight into the culture, social organization and general life throughout the Middle Ages, this is by far the best book one could find. I thought it was very well complemented by "Mediaeval Callings", a book edited by Jacques Le Goff.
Rating:
Summary: A masterpiece
Review: This is perhaps the most important and influential book on the Middle Ages on the market right now. Written clearly in the good traditions of the Annales school, it is more of a sociological study into the society of the Middle ages. So, if you want the usual narrative about what happened when, then perhaps this is not the book for you. However, as an insight into the culture, social organization and general life throughout the Middle Ages, this is by far the best book one could find. I thought it was very well complemented by "Mediaeval Callings", a book edited by Jacques Le Goff.
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