The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England

I wish more books were written like this one. It doesn't waste time with unnecessary detail, the writer's opinion or siblings in scholarship, it just relates information to you the best it can in as much detail as possible without being exhausting. It's a quick and easy read, highly informative and saturated in information. And if that weren't enough, Mortimer does one better by never judging the people about which he's writing. He explains their actions, and why they are the way they are, but never stops and laughs. He points out absurdity when it occurs, of course– and it does often– and holds people accountable for their actions, but at the same time, the compassion he obviously has for his subject is a highlight.

Furthermore, most books on a similar subject will spend exhaustive detail on the exploits of the rich and noble. Mortimer remembers them, too, but he doesn't include them to the exclusion of the poor. He balances all the characters of the Middle Ages excellently, creating a book rich with information and detail.