Medieval History
Ian Mortimer?s The Time Traveller?s Guide to Medieval England was a surprise bestseller in 2009, introducing the reader to the customs and mores of 14th-century England without any of the history, so that even if you did not know that England was at war with France, say, you would at least know what to wear and how to act so as to blend in with the locals. It was a lovely, lively book, full of startling details and clearly the work of a thoughtful historian with a tremendous grasp of his period.
The Time Traveller?s Guide to Elizabethan England is just as good, and only suffers by comparison because it does not come as such a surprise. In a sense, though, Mortimer seems even more sure of himself here, and perhaps because there are more sources available, or because he has written a couple of novels set in the period, this is even richer than his medieval guide. You can almost feel the texture of the times, and you can imagine exactly how its men and women might think.
Inevitably Mortimer addresses many of the same themes as in his earlier book ? the nuts and bolts of travel: what you could expect to eat and how much you could expect to pay for it. This sort of material is a boon for historical novelists short on time for research, and I found myself hoping he had slipped in one or two deliberate errors to trip the unwary.
Click here to read this review from the Daily Telegraph
See also our interview with Ian Mortimer
- Rewriting History: Royal Conspiracies In Late Medieval England
Royal intrigues are by no means a modern phenomenon ? medieval monarchs were involved in conspiracies and cover-ups, according to best-selling author Ian Mortimer. Ian will be giving an open lecture on medieval conspiracies, in particular the impact of...
- Rhodes Reviews The Elizabethan Invention Of Anglo-saxon England
Below please find a link to Sharon Rhodes' recent review of: Brackmann, Rebecca. The Elizabethan Invention of Anglo-Saxon England: Laurence Nowell, William Lambarde, and the Study of Old English. Cambridge: D.S. Brewer, 2012, for Medievally...
- For Your Eyes Only: Lionheart By Sharon Kay Penman
Lionheart by Sharon Kay Penman What rating does one give a book that was not only not read to the end, but was only read to 60 pages? Only on special occasions do I actually give a rating to a book if I have not made it to around 100 pages - or in the...
- Earning One's Stars: The Oath By Michael Jecks
?????? The Oath by Michael JecksIt is not easy to compose this review of The Oath by Michael Jecks. It is #29 in a 32 book series and I have three more in the series to read after this one. So how does a reviewer keep it fresh and not find her or...
- Hailes, Gloucestershire - Post-reformation Liturgical Arrangements
I'm very grateful to Roger Mortimer for his fascinating comment on Elizabethan table carpets, which he has posted on my Buckland vestments article. In his post he mentioned in passing the Elizabethan liturgical arrangements, that until the mid twentieth...
Medieval History
Book Review: The Time Traveller?s Guide to Elizabethan England by Ian Mortimer
The Time Traveller?s Guide to Elizabethan England is just as good, and only suffers by comparison because it does not come as such a surprise. In a sense, though, Mortimer seems even more sure of himself here, and perhaps because there are more sources available, or because he has written a couple of novels set in the period, this is even richer than his medieval guide. You can almost feel the texture of the times, and you can imagine exactly how its men and women might think.
Inevitably Mortimer addresses many of the same themes as in his earlier book ? the nuts and bolts of travel: what you could expect to eat and how much you could expect to pay for it. This sort of material is a boon for historical novelists short on time for research, and I found myself hoping he had slipped in one or two deliberate errors to trip the unwary.
Click here to read this review from the Daily Telegraph
See also our interview with Ian Mortimer
- Rewriting History: Royal Conspiracies In Late Medieval England
Royal intrigues are by no means a modern phenomenon ? medieval monarchs were involved in conspiracies and cover-ups, according to best-selling author Ian Mortimer. Ian will be giving an open lecture on medieval conspiracies, in particular the impact of...
- Rhodes Reviews The Elizabethan Invention Of Anglo-saxon England
Below please find a link to Sharon Rhodes' recent review of: Brackmann, Rebecca. The Elizabethan Invention of Anglo-Saxon England: Laurence Nowell, William Lambarde, and the Study of Old English. Cambridge: D.S. Brewer, 2012, for Medievally...
- For Your Eyes Only: Lionheart By Sharon Kay Penman
Lionheart by Sharon Kay Penman What rating does one give a book that was not only not read to the end, but was only read to 60 pages? Only on special occasions do I actually give a rating to a book if I have not made it to around 100 pages - or in the...
- Earning One's Stars: The Oath By Michael Jecks
?????? The Oath by Michael JecksIt is not easy to compose this review of The Oath by Michael Jecks. It is #29 in a 32 book series and I have three more in the series to read after this one. So how does a reviewer keep it fresh and not find her or...
- Hailes, Gloucestershire - Post-reformation Liturgical Arrangements
I'm very grateful to Roger Mortimer for his fascinating comment on Elizabethan table carpets, which he has posted on my Buckland vestments article. In his post he mentioned in passing the Elizabethan liturgical arrangements, that until the mid twentieth...