The Time Traveller's Guide To Elizabethan England (2012) - Plot & Excerpts
The past is like visiting a foreign country and what better thing to have than a guide? That is the premise behind author Ian Mortimer’s latest book. If you magically were transposed to say 1585 London, how would you wash your clothes? How much would food cost? What is the most common food to eat? Could you afford a horse? What type of medicine would be available if you got sick? How would you wash your hair? These are the type of questions that anybody interested in history loves to know. Nothing gives you a better since of the past than to understand how everyday people lived. What I learned about Elizabethan England was that it was much more similar to our time than we suspect. People enjoyed reading, going to plays, holidays, etc. But it was in sanitation and medicine that you can really appreciate the strides that our world has made. Basically if you got sick, you were on your own, hoping the doctor didn’t actually make it worse. Sanitation, forget about it! Author Mortimer is an excellent writer, using statistics to give you an overall view of the time period as well as anecdotes which enliven the story immensely. It seems like every page contained a factoid you need really thought about it. I known I bored several people with little tidbits I picked up in my reading! Recommended highly and as works on history goes, this is something of a “beach read-easy and light yet you will learn quite a bit. Terrific and comprehensive book describing every aspect of life in Elizabethan England. Ian Mortimer leaves no stone unturned, discussing every aspect of life, from one's diet, to transportation, clothing, jobs- you name it. Jam packed with interesting information, the reader takes away the sights and smells of living in the 16th century. Each chapter is filled with little gems, nuggets to keep the reader interested and compelled to learn more. I came out of this book learning that the Elizabethan age was a turning point, where new discoveries, and knowledge gave the world a nudge to grow into the modern age. Mortimer states "It is often said of Shakespeare that he is "not of an age but for all time"- a line originally penned by Ben Johnston. But Shakespeare is of an age-Elizabethan England. It makes him. It gives him a stage, a language, and an audience. If Shakespeare is "for all time," then so too is Elizabethan England."
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