The Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England
A Handbook for Visitors to the Fourteenth Century
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4.2 • 64 Ratings
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- $13.99
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
The past is a foreign country.
This is your guidebook.
A time machine has just transported you back to the fourteenth century. What do you see? How do you dress? How do you earn a living and how much are you paid? What sort of food will you be offered by a peasant or a monk or a lord? And more important, where will you stay?
The Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England is not your typical look at a historical period. This radical new approach shows us that the past is not just something to be studied; it is also something to be lived. All facets of everyday life in this fascinating period are revealed, from the horrors of the plague and war to the ridiculous excesses of roasted larks and medieval haute couture.
Through the use of daily chronicles, letters, household accounts, and poems of the day, Morti-mer transports you back in time, providing answers to questions typically ignored by traditional historians. You will learn how to greet people on the street, what to use as toilet paper, why a physician might want to taste your blood, and how to know whether you are coming down with leprosy.
From the first step on the road to the medieval city of Exeter, through meals of roast beaver and puffin, Mortimer re-creates this strange and complex period of history. Here, the lives of serf, merchant, and aristocrat are illuminated with re-markable detail in this engaging literary journey. The result is the most astonishing social history book you're ever likely to read: revolutionary in its concept, informative and entertaining in its detail, and startling for its portrayal of humanity in an age of violence, exuberance, and fear.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this compelling volume, Medieval history expert Mortimer (The Fears of Henry IV) transports readers to jolly, squalid old England for a thorough survey of everyday 14th century life. Going beyond the "nasty, brutish and short" of it, Mortimer's immersive visitor's-guide approach to popular history gives readers a seamless sense of being there. The population is young-"Half of the population is aged twenty-one or less"-but incredibly diverse. The idea that social classes were distinct and few-fighters, prayers, and farmers-gets exploded in Mortimer's examination society and the Medieval character, including everything from humor and juggling to mariners to doctors. Mortimer even argues, convincingly, over relative standards of hygiene ("to regard a medieval kitchen as 'dirty' because it has not been wiped down with modern detergent is to apply our own standards inappropriately"). He also looks at the role of period's four greatest writers of the time , and reveals the horrors of contemporary medicine (with terrifying descriptions of the plague) and law (the outskirts of every town were decorated with the hanged corpses of minor criminals). Mortimer's toungue-in-cheek vistor's guide is an impressive accomplishment, turning 600 years of history transparent to give 21st century audiences a clear view on Medieval life.
Customer Reviews
Absolutly wonderfull
I can't stop reading this book! It's so perfectly researched, full of details. It's also fun and easy to read. Quite different from every other history book out there. I can't wait for his next book to come out!
Mixed
Interesting topic, well-written and engagingly presented to make history come alive. Unfortunately the reading is a slog, given that the e edition is large chunks of type crying out for paragraphs.
Does Not Display Well on IPad
The book is interesting, but at times a bit dry. I had thought that the author was going to describe 14th century life via a story of a traveler. He sort of does in a rather abstract manner. I enjoyed the book, The Year 1000 more. I was very disappointed in the IPad display. Columns did not align well with presentation of tabular information, the illustrations were small and could not be zoomed into for closer inspection, and annoying typographical errors throughout.