This book was as good as could be expected for such an broad title. While I was very skeptical of a history book without any conventional constraints on its subject I was persuaded by my previous experience with Norwich. I thoroughly enjoyed his book on the history of the papacy (Absolute Monarchs: A History of the Papacy). All in all this book ended up being a typical old-fashioned Euro-centric "World" history books, starting with Egypt going to Greece then Rome, the Middle Ages, Renaissance and ending right after WWI. However, the book starts to shine when it gets to the Middle Ages. Where most similar history books would focus on Charlemagne and later on the Protestant Reformation leading to the Wars of Religion and so on, Norwich keeps his focus on the Mediterranean and gives the reader the less well known stories of the Arab and Norman invasions of Sicily and the constant sieges of the Mediterranean islands by alternating powers. This focus allows for a better understanding of why the Battle of Lepanto, always highlighted in history books, was such a big deal and how thorough was the Arab dominance of the Mediterranean after the end of the Western Roman Empire (see Henri Pirenne's Mohammed and Charlemagne for an analysis of the implications of that). Similarly, Norwich's constant perch on the Mediterranean allowed him (at the cost of the more well-known stories of the revolutions in northern Europe) to recount more fully the history of the unification of Italy and the Greek wars of Independence. Overall, while these tidbits of lesser known historical events were fun to read, they were drowned in a sea of vastly well-known stories that, though briefly told, were innumerable. One would think that if Norwich thought these stories too well-known to merit fleshing out he would have also been ok with eliminating them from the book altogether.

Just an unending list of kings and generals with little socio-economic description. Yes,very detailed, but ultimately we don't learn what drives history along

I read this book to provide a bit of a historical foundation for a trip to the Med with Mom in September. To that extent it was successful, but it has a very old fashioned approach to telling history which at times makes it a slog to read. Still there are some lovely little factual gems that keep the reader going and it certainly is surprisingly comprehensive for a volume of it's size.

Somewhat snarky, accessible yet incredibly complex history. The thirteenth century was a shell game of who has the Middle Sea.

Средното море и сложната му история: https://knigolandia.info/book-review/...

Няма как основният гръбнак на книгата да не е добре познат – от Древна Гърция през бляскавата история на Рим като република и империя; кървавия възход на исляма и не по-малко кървавите кръстоносни походи и резултатите от тях. Византия, на чието основно съществуване един от тях слага край, а особено внимание е обърнато и на формалното ѝ изчезване с падането на Константинопол. Сложните противоборства между могъщите градове и техните властници в Италия, както и абсурдно сложната мозайка на наследствата и противоборствата в бъдещите германски и италиански земи, отразени и в последователното противопоставяне между императори и папи в различните периоди.

ИК Прозорец
https://knigolandia.info/book-review/...

Wow! That was long, but full of so much information. I would love to sit through a college course on this book.

ليس كمثله بحر

هو اعظم بحيره طبيعية ومركز التاريخ الروحي وملتقي الحضارات الاعظم في التاريخ علي ضفاف نشأت ونمت الاديان الثلاثة ,يتوسطت تلاث قارات كبري علي ضفافة وفي جزرة تصارعت امبراطوريات وممالك وسلاطين فهو البحر الملكي والسلطاني والامبراطوري تعددت ادوارة ليكون مهدا ولحدا وجسرا وعائقا ونعمة ونقمة ومسرحا لحروب ضروس
حكاية بحر ليس كأي بحر
تاريخ بحر ليس كمثلة بحر

I found this book an entertaining read which filled in a few gaps in my knowledge within its stated remit. A more thoroughly educated student of history would probably regard it as review material only, but as a lay reader catching up on the history he never learned at school I found it a pleasant and fairly thorough introduction to the political history of the governments of the states on the Mediterranean littoral. If you are also a lay reader of history for enjoyment, this book may be for you. However, it promotes and partakes of a typical bias in history writing that has come to grate on my nerves over the years - the invisibility of the life of the common man and woman, their diet, their tools and their homes.

You will not find information on the following in this book:

1. How the inhabitants won salt.

2. How fish catch has changed, how it was caught, and how it affected the culture and cuisine of the region.

3. How the climate has been governed by the presence of the sea and how this has affected agriculture.

4. The economic significance of the olive.

5. How the fertility of the Mediterranean has been affected by the growth of civilisation.

6. How the Scylla and Charybdis of the the Straits of Messina entered Greek mythology and how they have influenced water-borne commerce.

7. How shipbuilding has progressed and how the conditions on the Mediterranean influenced it.

8. Anything else about fish or olives.

It is, basically, the usual annotated list of who fought whom in order to rule over whom. If you like hearing about kings, it's a good read. If you like hearing about cooks, farmers and shipwrights, it's more disappointing. All the same, it is an entertaining introductory volume.

Well written and very readable; the latter few chapters deal with Mediterranean countries but are not really about the sea itself and clearly rely heavily on others' works of history (e.g., Alan Moorehead's "Gallipoli" for that chapter).

Много харесах предната книга на Норуич за Византийската империя, но тази е разочарование.

Има изобилие от факти и много малко яснота защо са се случили, a понякога и какво общо имат със Средиземноморието. За сметка на това не липсват лични оценки на Норуич кой какъв е и защо има или няма полза от него за историята. Липсва широта на погледа, всъщност липсва голямата картина. Достъпността, която е налице, не замества липсващия анализ. Фактите, които са безброй, така и не успяват да сглобят пъзела на средното море.

През повечето време основният въпрос, който се плетеше в главата ми, беше: “И какво от това?”.

Спирам след 5 глави, по-ясно и интересно няма да стане.

After a bit I get weariy of JJN's approach to this - he know so much but just lays it on. Did the same w/ "A Short History of Byzantium". Now, on to other of my 'selections' in my own personal Mediterranean Cycle.