Allowing for all the professional disagreement which always will endure over Charles the Great, and the degree to which he changed the face of Western Europe that he inherited, this is an attempt to assess his political, historical and cultural importance. A man of passions, curiosity and vigor, he served as a catalyst in so many areas that ""we can properly talk of 'the Age' of Charlemagne"" which is reflected here, along with 87 plates (fine photographs- 36 in color) which are intended as an integral part of the text. A book which has been designed for undergraduate students but which will have an additional audience of reader-viewers.