A Short History of Byzantium, by John Julius Norwich. Byzantium is one of the most overlooked empires in western civilization. If you want to get a basic grasp of all the major events and people in its long history this book is an excelent choice. If after reading this you havn’t had engough you read his original three volume set on Byzantium, but I doubt you will have such an urge. In the first couple of chapters you will seem to be reading the history of both the eastern and the western empires, because he describes with detail the fall of Rome. The ending is quite good, but sad. The Roberts library has a copy, and you can get it on amazon for $13.