Michael Toch provides an excellent overview of Jewish life during an epoch marked not least by the development of anti-Semitic stereotypes that ultimately led to pogroms and the expulsion and murder of the Jews. This new edition is enriched by the latest research findings, which include current trends and perspectives, along with an updated bibliography.

The studies collected here centre on the social and economic life of medieval Germany, within a broader European context. The first three articles engage the day-to-day workings of rural society: literature, verbal attack and the language of mediated settlement of conflicts lead to a nuanced view of social hierarchy, in which the meek too have a say. The next group examines some major elements of rural life, dealing with technology, resources, ecology, transport, communication and credit. In the second part, the author focuses on the life of the Jews in Germany, first charting the process of...