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What Members Thought
This is a really fun and great idea. Basically the point is that since you're traveling back to the medieval ages, you need to know all the things that you won't get in a normal history book, like what underwear you wear or how you get from London to Canterbury in an age that doesn't have trustworthy maps or roads with signs. Although a couple of chapters dragged, a surprising amount of the ones I thought would be boring (Law, for example) ended up being really interesting. I would love if the p
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Very good; organized like a modern travel guide to a foreign country. Fascinating chapter on clothing.
"If medieval England is treated as dead and buried, what one can say about it is strictly limited by the questions arising from the evidence. However, if treated as a living place, the only limits are the experience of the author and his perception of the requirements, interests and curiosity of his readers. " p290
A very readable book; the premise that this is a travel rather than a history book works extremely well. The aim - as implied by the quote above - is to make the past a living place, n ...more
A very readable book; the premise that this is a travel rather than a history book works extremely well. The aim - as implied by the quote above - is to make the past a living place, n ...more
Exactly as I expected. Funny, informative, not condescending; you see what Mortimer describes.
Two quibbles: One - I think the religious fervor of the century is a bit beyond the author's mindset. For instance, John Wycliffe's name is only mentioned once, though his translation of the Bible into vernacular English is completed by the mid-1380s. That, and his itinerant preachers (the Lollards) caused quite a stir in England's cultural landscape, but neither receive any press here. Two - Mortimer i ...more
Two quibbles: One - I think the religious fervor of the century is a bit beyond the author's mindset. For instance, John Wycliffe's name is only mentioned once, though his translation of the Bible into vernacular English is completed by the mid-1380s. That, and his itinerant preachers (the Lollards) caused quite a stir in England's cultural landscape, but neither receive any press here. Two - Mortimer i ...more
Written from a refreshingly different angle from other history books, this description of the C14th reads like a modern guide book to a foreign country offering advice and information to the traveller. This is 'living history' in the present tense. I found some sections more interesting than others but overall it was enjoyable - and it would be invaluable to anyone writing a historical novel set in this period.
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What every secret time traveler wanna be needs! Such an engaging book. Loved it!
This was a fun audio book. Very descriptive.
Nov 15, 2008
Janette
marked it as to-read
Mar 31, 2010
Amy Bruno
marked it as to-read
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review of another edition
Shelves:
historical-non-fiction
Apr 07, 2010
Stephanie
is currently reading it
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review of another edition
Shelves:
random-historical-fiction
Sep 23, 2010
Meghan
marked it as history-middle-ages
Nov 28, 2010
Angela Randall
marked it as to-read
Jul 06, 2011
Rebecca
marked it as to-read
Mar 30, 2013
Jacinta Hoare
marked it as to-read
