For this new edition, Patrick J. Geary has incorporated more bibliographical information into the introductions to the readings. Five texts have been added to better reflect legal, religious, Polish, and women's history.

A glossary is provided to help with unfamiliar terms. For students who want to dig deeper into the primary sources, secondary readings about the primary sources are listed.

‘’Instructors of medieval history are fortunate to have at their disposal a new edition of the best selection of medieval primary courses in English translation available today. Like its predecessors, this fourth edition fulfills the promise expressed in the author's preface: to introduce us and our students to documents representing a great variety of genres, subjects, and places throughout medieval Europe and to present those documents in their entirety or in substantial portions. The documents allow us, the teachers, and more importantly, our students, the freedom to read in depth, select, and analyze—to practice history at its best, right in the classroom.’’ - Piotr Gorecki, University of California, Riverside