Book Review: The Time Travellers Guide....

[miscreant]

I've just finished a book that I've heard a lot about but never had the chance to read until now. It's called The Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England by Ian Mortimer.

All I can say is WOW!!! It is the most informative and descriptive book on the daily lives, attitudes, beliefs and habits of every social grouping in 14th century England. There are tons of books out there on the military exploits of the time, but this is a book about the people. It truly shed's light on why they did what they did and why they accepted what they did.

His writing style is very easy to read, as if you are just having a conversation with him. It's not a 'quick' read because it is so full of incredible information and if you are a student of the era, like myself, you almost feel guilty reading through it too fast in fear of missing some important information, it's that good.

If you get a chance, get it, read it, highlight the good stuff and improve your understanding and portrayal if you are a living history type person.

Here's a link to the book through Amazon if you want a better idea of what it is:

http://www.amazon.com/Time-Travelers-Gu ... 062&sr=8-1

[Thomas Powers]

Does it do a good job on beggars, prostitutes, and other low life scum?

Thomas

[EnglishSteel]

Couldnt agree more! Excellent book! It really lets you see the past as something that was lived, not just something that happened. I had to stop reading at the section describing the plague

[Tailoress]

I would like to read this book, but when I briefly flipped through the clothing chapter I came across some dubious assertions... can't remember details, but doesn't he mention "corsets" being worn by the women? IIRC, he's not referring to the less-understood 14thc version of the word. He's talking about corsets in the modern sense... Any commentary on the clothing chapter?

[Charlotte J]

I've heard through the grapevine (La Belle readers and the AOTC list) that you might as well skip the clothing chapter.

[bkillian]

yeah the clothing chapter is um........not good

[miscreant]

I agree. The clothing section is a little weak, plus I gleen all the information I need about clothing from you ladies!! I'll edit my first post: With the exception of the clothing section, the rest of the book is fantastic!! I guess what I found so fascinating is the research on the people themselves. The history is what we always learn, but individuals, besides kings, queens, princes, ie royalty, is rarely covered and that's what I found so interesting.

[Appel]

What I liked most about the book was the descriptions of the landscapes. How the fields and forest would appear, the disorganized arrangement of cities, etc.

Regards,