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tasmanian_bibliophile's review
5.0
‘Life in the Middle Ages was not simple, nor primitive, and neither is it easy to explain.’
I’ve read a lot of fiction set in the middle ages, and a reasonable amount of medieval English history. While I have some understanding of the period, there are huge gaps in my knowledge. Some of those gaps have now been filled, thanks to this book by Dr Gillian Polack, a historian, and Dr Katrin Kania, an archaeologist, which addresses life in medieval England between 1050 and 1300.
‘This guide is a room with many doors.’
Only some? Yes, because this book is an introduction, supported by a comprehensive forty page section entitled ‘Reading More About The Middle Ages’. The information provided in each section invites the interested reader to learn more by exploring the recommended reading suggested. Interested in religion during the Middle Ages? Dr Polack and Dr Kania have provided an overview of Christianity and Judaism in England during this period. This will be enough information for some readers, but if you want more, turn to ‘Reading More About The Middle Ages’.
How is the book organised? The seventeen numbered chapters address a range of topics including: the people, their life phases, government, religion, the military, craft, leisure activities, the medieval economy and travel.
For me, the most interesting section was on the economy. I enjoyed each section, learning many new things. My favourite fact? Learning that the curfew, a bell rung in towns to remind people to cover their fires at night, took its name from the couvre-feu, a pottery cover with air vents that went on the fire. Above all, I have a new appreciation of the complexity of medieval life, and a better understanding of certain aspects of it.
If you have an interest in Medieval England, if you read (or write) fiction set in this period, this is a book well worth reading.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
I’ve read a lot of fiction set in the middle ages, and a reasonable amount of medieval English history. While I have some understanding of the period, there are huge gaps in my knowledge. Some of those gaps have now been filled, thanks to this book by Dr Gillian Polack, a historian, and Dr Katrin Kania, an archaeologist, which addresses life in medieval England between 1050 and 1300.
‘This guide is a room with many doors.’
Only some? Yes, because this book is an introduction, supported by a comprehensive forty page section entitled ‘Reading More About The Middle Ages’. The information provided in each section invites the interested reader to learn more by exploring the recommended reading suggested. Interested in religion during the Middle Ages? Dr Polack and Dr Kania have provided an overview of Christianity and Judaism in England during this period. This will be enough information for some readers, but if you want more, turn to ‘Reading More About The Middle Ages’.
How is the book organised? The seventeen numbered chapters address a range of topics including: the people, their life phases, government, religion, the military, craft, leisure activities, the medieval economy and travel.
For me, the most interesting section was on the economy. I enjoyed each section, learning many new things. My favourite fact? Learning that the curfew, a bell rung in towns to remind people to cover their fires at night, took its name from the couvre-feu, a pottery cover with air vents that went on the fire. Above all, I have a new appreciation of the complexity of medieval life, and a better understanding of certain aspects of it.
If you have an interest in Medieval England, if you read (or write) fiction set in this period, this is a book well worth reading.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
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