There's the Barbara Tuchman book called A Distant Mirror, which is on the border of the medieval and the early renaissance. She's a good writer with fair detail. For hardcore, look at the history of private life series, really interesting, wouldn't read it in a single sitting though.

If you like pretty, try to find a copy of the tres riches heurs of the duc de berry. (My local library actually had a really old edition. I was thrilled.) It's basically a color reprint of an illuminated manuscript. Each month has a small scene of life. So it's a nice visual intro to both northern renaissance art and a nobleman's pov of life. (And the colors and shapes on the framing are stunning.)

If you want fun, one of my favorite fun history refs is the Cartoon History of the Universe series, the third volume of which deals with these periods. (Really, it's a well thought out and researched series. He gives a wide overview of what happened where when, so there isn't as much detail but it gives a nice idea of what happened in places not mentioned in high school. How much got left out of basic history boggles the mind.)
Source(s):
Books! Tres Riches Heurs, Cartoon History, Distant Mirror (and lots of duller history books too...)


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