The Time Traveller’s Guide to Medieval England: A Handbook for Visitors to the Fourteenth Century (Ian Mortimer’s Time Traveller’s Guides)
£4.70
Discover an original, entertaining and illuminating guide to a completely different world: England in the Middle Ages.
Imagine you could travel back to the fourteenth century. What would you see, and hear, and smell? Where would you stay? What are you going to eat? And how are you going to test to see if you are going down with the plague?
In The Time Traveller’s Guide Ian Mortimer’s radical new approach turns our entire understanding of history upside down. History is not just something to be studied; it is also something to be lived, whether that’s the life of a peasant or a lord. The result is perhaps the most astonishing history book you are ever likely to read; as revolutionary as it is informative, as entertaining as it is startling.
‘Ian Mortimer is the most remarkable medieval historian of our time’ The Times
‘After The Canterbury Tales this has to be the most entertaining book ever written about the middle ages’ Guardian
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Additional information
| Publisher | Vintage Digital (29 Feb. 2012) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| File size | 10349 KB |
| Text-to-Speech | Enabled |
| Screen Reader | Supported |
| Enhanced typesetting | Enabled |
| X-Ray | Enabled |
| Word Wise | Enabled |
| Sticky notes | On Kindle Scribe |
| Print length | 354 pages |
by Helen Musson
Brilliant!
by MR G A SMITH
A very good read, very interesting and better than I thought it would be.
by Grumpy Historian
Dr Mortimer hit upon something of a winning formula when he decided to present an account of 14th century in the form of a Travel Guide. It allows for true to life, down to earth and realistic depictions of people places and things which seem to be `in the now’. The `turn this way and you will see’ style narration could get a little annoying after a while, but generally the book provides a vivid, fascinating and enjoyable depiction of the period through the eyes of the people of the time.
For anyone looking for a lively introduction to the period this is certainly it. The only things lacking in my view was a glossary which would be helpful for people reading the book who had little or no prior knowledge of the period. I cannot begin to describe how useful this book is if you are interested in social history. It gives vivid and realistic glimpses into the lives of different people from every area of society. From knights and nobles, to humble villains and labourers.
Currency, law, travel, entertianment, social conventions, fashion even sanitatary conditions.It is all here, everything a traveller needs to know, and perhaps a little they don’t.
The use of technical or period phrases which many people may be unfamiliar with and no explanation of their definition or what they referred to can make it seem as though the author might simply have forgotten that his audience are not all historians, and so might not know what he is taking about. Some maps might also have been in order.
One of the major issues I had with this book was the way that Mortimer sometimes allowed his own opinions and beliefs to colour the narrative, and perhaps to an extent that they might influence those of the readers.
Of course, it is scarcely possible for any historian or writer to be totally objective a removed all the time, but is an account of 14th century entertainment or changing tastes in fashion punctuated by Mortimer’s apparent hostility towards what the author perceives as religious and moral `prudishness’ really necessary?
At times, Mortimer comes across as downright arrogant and condescending when he asserts that only old, fat and/or or religious people would express disapproval of certain things.
In the historical context the final designation seems almost meaningless as almost everyone was `religious’ to varying degrees at this time- and the logical implication appears to be that either that religious people were in the minority- which likely was not the case, or that the majority of the population of England would not have approved to tight fitting or revealing fashions, and flirtatious dances which Mortimer himself claims was not the case either.
This pervasive prejudice does little to enhance the reader’s understanding of the era, and adds little to the book. It is possible to get past this and to enjoy and learn something from the book nonetheless but this may be something of an issue.
by Philip Meers
I am an historian, the Medieval period is my speciality, and I had high hopes for this book, but found it a tedious slog to get through. I became so bored by the penultimate chapter that I gave up. I do not think that this is a book for someone who already knows a lot about the period because it supplies very little that is original. In my opinion there are better books out there.
It is a wide ranging book, and a huge amount of research has gone into it, though I do query whether much of it was from primary sources. A great deal could easily have been lifted from secondary sources.
The author seems to assume that the reader knows nothing about the period, and explains things in great detail and occasionally I felt condescendingly. As a result the book is long, more than it needs to be. It also seems longer than it is because quite honestly the author’s writing style is at best adequate, but often rather turgid.
The first part of the book is reasonably interesting, but the second part becomes quite boring. When I realised how much I still had to read, I simply couldn’t face it.
I had previously read the guides to Elizabethan England and Regency Britain by the same author, and enjoyed both, which is why I am so disappointed with this book.
I could not recommend this. If you already know the period well, there are better books out there, and if you have little knowledge there are also better books out there.
by Mr k p frost
Just as brilliant as all Ian Mortimer books. Accurate history brought to life. His Time Traveller series are particularly good to read.
Sadly, thanks to bad packaging from Amazon the book has a deep gash from the back cover to just before the middle. If pulled and separated page by page carefully it is just readable. This defect would have clearly be seen by whomever wrapped the parcel. 🙁
by Thomas Wisdom
This book is superb, it explores all aspects of medieval life with a good balance of death and breadth. All of the information is well supported with tables, quotes, and medieval illuminations. The writing is accessible but precise and detailed. Highly recommended.
by Sarah Ivatt
An original approach to history which is both informative and extremely entertaining.