I have a very old book, The German People, by Veit Valatin, published 1946 by Knopf. The subtitle, Their History and Civilization from the Holy Roman Empire to the Third Reich. However, the text really begins with the tribes, Angles, Saxons, Celts, and others; 685 pages plus appendixes and charts. There are wonderful maps of the different eras included. Valatin was a German professor, relieved of his duties by Hitler's regime. He left Germany and became a professor in England, teaching there and lecturing at U.S. universities. It's a weighty tome, but a great resource. Another book I sometimes use for understanding, is Life on a Manoral Barony, by William Stearns Davis, Ph.D., Professor of History, University of Minnesota; published 1923, Harper & Brothers. Much of its contents predate the rise of the Frankish and Germanic Kingdoms, but it does give some idea of what life was like for the common people, peasants, and serfs. Jan J. Leigh Strange, BA, CCHT, RMT Ask me about hypnotherapy or Reiki for pain relief, long distance healing, spiritual emergency, past life regression. **************Get fantasy football with free live scoring. Sign up for FanHouse Fantasy Football today. (http://www.fanhouse.com/fantasyaffair?ncid=aolspr00050000000020)