Suggestion For History Books

[Mudhammam]

I can think of no better historian in terms of making its characters and events really come alive than Eileen Powers in her book "Medieval People," which I found through Bertrand Russell's recommendation in an essay he wrote on the Dark Ages. It chronicles the lives of six individuals who lived between (If I remember correctly) the 9th century and the 16th. The one notable is Marco Polo but the rest are pretty obscure, just everyday, ordinary figures of their times. If I understand what you mean by a gossipy narrative, I think you'll love it.