Not such a pleasure to read as the Julius Norwich on this time frame but a good professional survey of the period. the state is seen to rise from the nadir of the Islamic assault to a mild expansion under the Macedonian dynasty. Some effort is expended on the cultural importance of the period regarding both Eastern and western Europe. By and large, however, Jenkins has faded into the background. If you can get hold of a copy of the Treadgold books on this empire. ( )

1279. Byzantium: The Imperial Centuries A.D. 610-1071, by Romilly Jenkins (read 9 Aug 1974) The subject of this book is fascinating. When I read this book there was probably nothing in history I knew less of than the history of Byzantium during the years covered by this book. I had not realized what a series of triumphs the Byzantine Empire had in the tenth century. I guess I had assumed things went all downhill from Mohammed's time to 1453, but this book shows otherwise. ( )