I think that I can safely speak for many of us in the historical community (both writers and readers) when I say that we are - in the nicest way of course - rather nosy. That is, we want to know all about people from different times: what they looked like; what they did; how they did it. For instance, have you ever wondered whether people in the fourteenth century wore nightdresses or what the well off used to wipe their behinds with (I have!)? How about their pastimes, sense of humour or the difficulties of travelling?
Ian Mortimer's latest book: The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England - A Handbook for Visitors to the Fourteenth Century certainly satisfies that craving for knowledge of the minutiae of daily life in the Middle Ages. The book is lovingly researched and well written with a light sprinkling of humour that makes it very easy to read. The style in itself is very original for a non-fiction historical book, using a `guidebook' approach that is a million miles away from the stuffiness of many `academic' books. Yet, happily, the book does not suffer from a lack of sincerity or historical integrity in any way.
The topics cover a broad range of subjects for the `traveller' from what the landscape will look like to what to wear, where to stay when travelling, and how to address different kinds of people that you will meet along the way. And then, of course, when they invite you to eat with them, you will know what food to expect. And then, of course, there is always the danger of falling ill. The Time Traveller's Guide is once again at hand to tell you not only what may be wrong with you (hopefully not the plague, or leprosy!) and what medicine is available to help cure it.
This book, then, is a wonderful read. To be fair, I could not find fault either with the style or the information it offered (much to my frustration - as I always like to find at least a little criticism to balance things). To anyone who loves this period it will open up new doors to understanding the social history of the time. For writers of Medieval fiction, it is a valuable sourcebook - full of the little details that we need to make our stories come alive.
So yes, I heartily recommend this book as worth every penny
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Popular highlights in this book
Medieval boys are expected to work from the age of seven and can be hanged for theft at the same age. They can marry at the age of fourteen and are liable to serve in an army from the age of fifteen.Highlighted by 207 Kindle readers- There is simply no understanding of cultural development in medieval England, no understanding that people in different ages look and act differently, and no sense of Ancient Rome or Roman Palestine being culturally different.Highlighted by 158 Kindle readers
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Customers say
Customers find this medieval history book engaging and informative, packed with detailed facts about everyday life in the 14th century. The writing style is accessible, with the author using the present tense, and customers appreciate how it brings the period to life through vivid descriptions. They find it easy to read and entertaining, with one customer noting how it provides a better appreciation of medieval buildings.
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227 customers mention content, 222 positive, 5 negative
...find this book and others in the same series a great read and very interesting, full of facts and well written....Read more
...a great resource for teachers and students but also quite simply a good read. I loved the approach of writing it as a travel guide and...Read more
...Written in the present tense it is informative, fun to ready, interesting. A WONDERFUL book. Love it. I have bought the Elizabethan one too.Read more
...Would recommend to anyone with an interest in history.Great read.Read more
145 customers mention informative, 141 positive, 4 negative
...Written in the present tense it is informative, fun to ready, interesting. A WONDERFUL book. Love it. I have bought the Elizabethan one too.Read more
...Very clear and very informative; ideal for casual interest, school pupils, university history reading and so on....Read more
Very well researched and eloquently written.but Illustrations difficult to 'read' in the Kindle format....Read more
A superb book, full of information and giving a whole and rounded view of the period....Read more
69 customers mention historical perspective, 67 positive, 2 negative
The second book of Mr Mortimers i have read and again i feel it brings history to life, you get an understanding of what it must have been like to...Read more
an interesting way of looking at history as if you were actually living in those days, how you would survive, eat and dwell in times gone byRead more
I find history fascinating....Read more
Different slant on history interestingRead more
56 customers mention readability, 55 positive, 1 negative
Easy to read and entertaining by taking you back to the past giving you a glimpse into the attitudes and beliefs of people living at that time.Read more
...Sections are short and very readable making it an ideal book to read whilst travelling which is what I did....Read more
...Useful overview for anyone studying the 14th century, a very easy read.Read more
...England in Medieval Times....it is really fascinating and an easy read....you can dip in and out and read it out of order....so you could look for...Read more
51 customers mention writing style, 49 positive, 2 negative
...same series a great read and very interesting, full of facts and well written. once picked up it is very difficult to put down.Read more
...It is very well written; Ian Mortimer seems to possess a skill with words that draws me through the book like a novel, yet when the book is set down...Read more
...The ending in discussing the purpose of history is beautifully written and certainly points towards the modern habit of condemning what people saw...Read more
The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval... : a wonderful book ; wonderfully written and very useful for improving my english vocabulary !Read more
20 customers mention evocative, 20 positive, 0 negative
...It allows for true to life, down to earth and realistic depictions of people places and things which seem to be `in the now'....Read more
This book is a light hearted, easy read which will take you back in time to what it may have been like to visit Medieval England....Read more
Wonderfully evocative, informative, smooth prose from an expert on Medieval history....Read more
Just as good as the Elizabethan book. It really brings the past to life.Read more
16 customers mention insightful, 16 positive, 0 negative
Amusing and insightful, a great ground-up take on medieval times in England.Read more
...Having read this book I had a better appreciation of the mediaeval buildings surrounding these great buildings, and an appreciation of the layout of...Read more
...A good insight into how people livedRead more
...is a really interesting and well written book which provides an excellent insight into what life must have been like in the 14th Century.Read more
15 customers mention humor, 13 positive, 2 negative
Amusing and insightful, a great ground-up take on medieval times in England.Read more
...how they dressed how they washed or didn't etc in a compelling and humorous way....Read more
A wonderful read, told with humour about the lives quite possibly lived by my ancestors in the midlands of England all those years ago.Read more
I found this book interesting and easy to read, and it was also quite amusing. It is not a heavy going book; very accessible....Read more
Top reviews from United Kingdom
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- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 26 October 2008
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 30 April 2009
Top reviews from other countries
- Bootsy (Shell)Reviewed in Canada on 31 October 2013
Amazingly Detailed
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase - Brian DriverReviewed in the United States on 5 June 2012
Long live the King! (of medieval guides)
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HelenReviewed in Italy on 5 May 2018
A great read that takes you back in time!
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
