A pleasant surprise is in store for those who literally equate the Dark Ages with the Middle Ages. Hardly a somber period, it fairly overflowed with the artefacts of skilled craftsmen whose standards for general excellence reached a sublime pinnacle of artistry. The book concentrates on the products of the time, things for the castle, - armor, clothing, jewels, tapestries, furniture, tableware; things for the church - books, carvings in wood, ivory, alabaster, special church treasures, vessels, incense burners, chalices - describing the object and its function and how it was made. High school students learning the complex structure of the guild system in their history courses should find in this excellent supplementary text which neatly rounds out the picture.