IR-1

This was very interesting in showing how severely monastcism had declined in the
18th-19th centuries in Europe and how strikingly it had recovered in the 20th century
until the new decline following the 1960s. ( )

Described by Norman Cantor as "the outstanding accomplishment in medieval studies by a Catholic in this century. It is also one of the enduring works of historical literature in the English language, placing Knowles in the pantheon with Gibbon, Macaulay, and Maitland."