The Time Traveler's Guide To Medieval England: A Handbook For Visitors To The Fourteenth Century (2009) - Plot & Excerpts
Very nicely written description of what 14th century England would be like if you were to visit. Most history seems to be written about kings and queens or the battles and dates of wars. This is a look at the entire range of classes of people from the poorest on up to royalty and what you could expect to see and hear and even smell. Well done and I would recommend it to anyone interest in medieval history. A wonderful read. Admittedly some chapters a little dry ( the lists of household items I found myself skimming!). However, some chapters really excel. Mortimer's final Chapter describing the life and work of Chaucer is very moving. Other chapters I enjoyed The Medieval Character and Health and Hygiene. He begins by describing the book as a virtual reality, and admits in the closing paragraphs that it is more a book about the way we see the past. This is deeply poignant as we realise this is how we then connect the humanity of history to ourselves. This book has changed my approach to history because it has enabled me to imagine the life of an individual, and not just a King or Queen, but any man or woman from the full spread of society. You can picture a farmers singing on a summers day, a drink in a tavern or the feeling of excitement as a migrant enters a city for the first time. Really the key distinction between this book and other history books is that the content is described as alive rather than dead. This difference allows the reader to follow their imaginations and view themselves as part of a constantly living collective history, and not one handed down in parts.
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Highly recommended. Entertaining, conversational style and informative on a variety of topics.
—onedirection12
