The Struggle for Mastery: Britain, 1066-1284

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding Guide to Period
Review: As a closet British/Norman amateur medieval scholar, the Norman and Angevin rulers are endlessly fascinating to me. This is one of the best books I've ever read on the subject. It places virtually every individual and significant event into context, some of which even biographies devoted to a particular individual haven't discussed. It blends the events, personalities, economics, religious aspects and power struggles into a comprehensive, highly readable narrative. My only caution -- the author assumes the reader has a general knowledge of the time period from the Norman Conquest of England through the Angevin dynasty.
Even though I have over 75 text books and biographies on the period, this is already one of my favorites I know I'll turn to time and again.