I’ve got four for you this evening; I’ve been saving them up. Pen & Sword send me a lot of books, ones I’ve agreed to review, but you know how it is, my eyes are bigger than my belly when it comes to books, so I generally have to read a few at a time then review them all in groups. Sometimes there’s even a theme.
Today there is a theme. Daily life in various historical periods. I’ve just finished reading ‘How to survive in Ancient Egypt’, which I had been waiting on to do this set of reviews.
Ancient History Rome P&S History
By L J Trafford
Imprint: Pen & Sword History
Pages: 184
Illustrations: 30 black and white illustrations
ISBN: 9781526757869
Published: 11th November 2020
Imagine you were transported back in time to Ancient Rome and you had to start a new life there. How would you fit in? Where would you live? What would you eat? Where would you go to have your hair done? Who would you go to if you got ill, or if you were mugged in the street? All these questions, and many more, will be answered in this new how-to guide for time travellers. Part self-help guide, part survival guide, this lively and engaging book will help the reader deal with the many problems and new experiences that they will face, and also help them to thrive in this strange new environment.
Imprint: Pen & Sword History
Pages: 176
Illustrations: 30 black and white illustrations
ISBN: 9781526753496
Published: 18th May 2020
Imagine you were transported back in time to Ancient Egypt and you had to start a new life there. How would you fit in? Where would you live? What would you eat? Where would you go to have your hair done? Who would you go to if you got ill, or if you were mugged in the street? All these questions, and many more, will be answered in this new how-to guide for time travellers.
Part self-help guide, part survival guide, this lively and engaging book will help the reader deal with the many problems and new experiences that they will face, and also help them to thrive in this strange new environment.
Imprint: Pen & Sword History
Pages: 168
Illustrations: Integrated black and white illustrations
ISBN: 9781526754417
Published: 25th June 2021
Expected Re-release Date: 31st December 2021
Imagine you were transported back in time to Medieval England and had to start a new life there. Without mobile phones, ipads, internet and social media networks, when transport means walking or, if you’re fortunate, horse-back, how will you know where you are or what to do? Where will you live? What is there to eat? What shall you wear? How can you communicate when nobody speaks as you do and what about money? Who can you go to if you fall ill or are mugged in the street? However can you fit into and thrive in this strange environment full of odd people who seem so different from you?
All these questions and many more are answered in this new guide book for time-travellers: How to Survive in Medieval England. A handy self-help guide with tips and suggestions to make your visit to the Middle Ages much more fun, this lively and engaging book will help the reader deal with the new experiences they may encounter and the problems that might occur. Know the laws so you don’t get into trouble or show your ignorance in an embarrassing faux pas.
Enjoy interviews with the celebrities of the day, from a business woman and a condemned felon, to a royal cook and King Richard III himself. Have a go at preparing medieval dishes and learn some new words to set the mood for your time-travelling adventure. Have an exciting visit but be sure to keep this book to hand.
My Review of the How to survive… books
Generally, I’d review each book individually but these books follow a format that is broadly standardised. Each author covers everything a visitor to the time an place would need to know to not stand out too much, with sections covering food, clothes, religion, work, entertainment, social structure, etc. Each author uses a different device for keeping interest. In Rome we meet two important people, a lady and a high ranking slave, in Medieval England we meet all sorts of people, and in Egypt we’re left without an individual guide.
The books cover very basic things; if I was writing historical fiction these would be good places to get background stuff; or they’d be good for teaching the periods to school children. That’s not to say the information is simplistic or childishly presented; the information is presented in a clear and precise way that allows better understanding and depth of knowledge, and the extensive bibliographies provide guidance on further reading. The authors all managed to share the knowledge they have researched and do so in an interesting fashion. I highly recommend these books to budding historians, and would like the ‘How to survive in Ancient Greece’ book to complete my collection.
Imprint: Pen & Sword History
Pages: 184
Illustrations: 20 black and white
ISBN: 9781526754059
Published: 18th May 2020
1326 was one of the most dramatic years in English history. The queen of England, Isabella of France, invaded the country with an army of mercenaries to destroy her husband’s powerful and detested lover, Hugh Despenser the Younger, and brought down her husband King Edward II in the process. It was also a year, however, when the majority of English people carried on living their normal, ordinary lives: Eleyne Glaswreghte ran her own successful glass-making business in London, Jack Cressing the master carpenter repaired the beams in a tower of Kenilworth Castle, Alis Coleman sold her best ale at a penny and a half for a gallon in Byfleet, and Will Muleward made the king ‘laugh greatly’ when he spent time with him at a wedding in Marlborough. England sweltered in one of the hottest, driest summers of the Middle Ages, a whale washed ashore at Walton-on-the-Naze, and the unfortunate John Toly died when he relieved himself out of the window of his London house at midnight, and lost his balance.
Living in Medieval England: The Turbulent Year of 1326 tells the true and fascinating stories of the men and women alive in England in this most eventful year, narrated chronologically with a chapter devoted to each month.
My Review
And on to our forth book. I picked this one because I am interested in the medieval period. This book covers events month by month in a single year. This has the potential to be very interesting, but this but got bogged down and I got bored very quickly. There’s little to no commentary or analysis, and it reads more like a gazetteer than a fully realised book. If I were looking to follow a particular individual or trade, or find an example of a certain event or reaction, it might be helpful, but as it is, it’s just a dull list culled from court and church records.
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