Illuminating the Dark Ages: A Core Reading List

Our maverick English Teacher and amateur medievalist considers the so-called Dark Ages and has compiled a list of 35 essential texts, which , if nothing else, demonstrates that we know a lot more about this period than the name implies. Perhaps the term "Early Middle Ages" is more accurate, but "The Dark Ages" is the one that has stuck. For the sake of clarity, our compiler considers the time period 410-1066 CE to be topic of discussion, whatever one chooses to call it.