... these books are also interlinked. From William Jordan's study concerning the Great Famine of 1315-22, to Bruce Campbell's edited book which acts as a watershed between the expansive demographic and economic trends of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries and the contraction and stagnation which depicted the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. Following this is the short study by John Hatcher, which is interested in the effects of the Black Death, primarily upon population and the economy. The time frame fits in with Rodney Hilton's study, concerning lords and peasants, covering the period from roughly the late twelfth century to the early sixteenth. Hilton's focus is stated almost immediately, "my view has been that conflict between landlords and peasants....was a prime mover in the evolution of medieval society"1. The structure and perspective upon which these authors undertake their studies are of paramount importance. These four books are notable examples of genre. Two, those ...

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