Patrick J. Geary's highly acclaimed collection of source materials on the medieval period is well-known for offering an excellent selection of substantial excerpts—or whole documents wherever possible—from the most widely studied historical texts.

This much-anticipated fifth edition features a larger format, as well as enlarged type, to make the collection more reader-friendly. Study questions have been added at the end of each section to help students focus on key points in the text. Volume I includes a new selection from the Rule of St. Benedict and a new translation of Einhard's The Life of Charlemagne, as well as a color photo section introducing students to fascinating medieval art such as a seventh-century stone from Hornhausen, a shirt that belonged to Queen Bathild, and a page from the St. Petersburg Bede.