A History of Britain: The Normans, Magna Carta and the Black Death, E. H. Carter and R.A.F. Mears, ed. David Evans, (Stacey International, London, 2010, original edition, Clarendon Press, 1937)  296pp., hardback £10.00, ISBN 978 1 906768 36 2

This long admired but latterly forgotten series was written by Carter, a Chief Inspector of Schools, and Mears, a history teacher at Warwick School, and is now being revised by David Evans, formally Head of History at Eton.  It will appeal to devotees of traditional history, told as a straightforward chronological narrative in a fast-paced language and provided with maps and illustrations, genealogical tables, a date summary and comprehensive index. 

It is suitable for secondary school pupils in early years and for parents seeking a no-nonsense refresher course in medieval history.  It stresses that the defining characteristic of medieval Britain was the close relation of the Church of England and the Church in Europe despite Britain's peripheral position.  A second characteristic of the period is identified as a lack of clear distinction between the French and English Kingdoms.

The book also incorporates related events in the world beyond Europe and appropriate attention is paid to the cultural context.  David Evans does not make clear just what his editorship has involved but the book is attractively printed at a very modest price.