• The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England

  • A Handbook for Visitors to the Fourteenth Century
  • By: Ian Mortimer
  • Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
  • Length: 11 hrs and 45 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (2,210 ratings)

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The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England  By  cover art

The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England

By: Ian Mortimer
Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
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Publisher's summary

Imagine you could travel back to the 14th century. What would you see? What would you smell? More to the point, where are you going to stay? And what are you going to eat?

Ian Mortimer shows us that the past is not just something to be studied; it is also something to be lived. He sets out to explain what life was like in the most immediate way, through taking you to the Middle Ages.

The result is the most astonishing social history book you are ever likely to read: evolutionary in its concept, informative and entertaining in its detail, and startling for its portrayal of humanity in an age of violence, exuberance and fear.

©2008 Ian Mortimer (P)2009 Isis Publishing Ltd

Critic reviews

"A jaunty journey through the 14th century, one that wriggles with the stuff of everyday life." ( Guardian)

Featured Article: Travel to the Middle Ages with These Audiobooks and Podcasts


The Medieval Era, the tumultuous centuries from the fall of the Roman Empire to the advent of the Enlightenment, is one of the most alluring and intriguing periods of human history. Ready to travel back in time? Check out these audiobooks and podcasts, which cover everything from Icelandic sagas and Medieval murder to the queens of Medieval England and the scientific advancements of the Arab World.

What listeners say about The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Day Tripping

The subject of this book offers rich and fertile material, but the mining of that material frequently borders on tedium and monotony. Just as author Mortimer piques the reader's interest with a topic such as illnesses that plagued citizens of medieval England, he throws cold water on that interest by delving into a lengthy list that is about as colourful as the index of a medical textbook. The result is a constant flip-flop from keen anticipation to bo-ring.

Very superficial treatment of a hugely interesting topic.

Excellent narration.

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7 people found this helpful

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Hope they keep them coming.

Where does The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

My favorite in the history category to be sure! I hope the writers continue exploring the past with this format.

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7 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Wishing I could go there!

This book is amongst the best I heard so far and a great idea bringing history to life. The author has lead a group of listeners as tourists back to 14th century England and lead us about the country pointing out interesting things and explaining their significance both to the times and also to the future.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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At times, you almost feel your are there.

I was quite surprised at how effectively this book immersed me in 14th century England, largely by simply changing the tense of verbs and writing in the second person. I've heard this book described as a 'gimmick', apparently unbecoming of a professional historian, but it turns what could otherwise be a rather dry history of tax ledgers, merchant inventories, archaeological insights, city codes, and business regulations into a fascinating picture of the world our ancestors lived in 700 years ago. Make no mistake, this is a professionally researched and highly accurate social history of the 14th century, the amount of research that must have gone into it is astounding in its own right. But it is presented in such a way as to be both useful to the professional historian and quite entertaining to the average reader. You will learn a lot from this book, though it is never a chore; but more than simply learning about the period, you will come to understand the hopes, fears, and concerns that motivated the people who lived through it.

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Best travel book ever

I have always enjoyed medieval history and historical fiction. My favourite setting is England, and my favourite century is the fourteenth. This is a travel guide to England in the fourteenth century, and it really brought the time and place brilliantly to life. It is all in the present tense, and really does succeed in putting you right there among villeins, yeomen, sheriffs, forest outlaws, minstrelry, the 'great pestilence' (black death), manorial courts, etc etc. Loved every minute of it.

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Bravo

Wonderful, brilliant, magnificent - the final words brought tears to my eyes. Will listen to again & seek out similar works

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Not for the casual 'time traveler' but great

Would you consider the audio edition of The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England to be better than the print version?

Hearing the mellifluous voice of Jonathan Keeble with his British accent definitely added to the impression that I was about to go on an adventurous journey to the time and place that the author described.

What other book might you compare The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England to and why?

I'd compare it to some Bill Bryson books on travel

What about Jonathan Keeble’s performance did you like?

As mentioned, his accent contributed to the authenticity of the story.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

You see the sights and hear the sounds, but be thankful that you don't smell the aromas.

Any additional comments?

For anyone who enjoys reading about the Middle Ages, it is a great companion to such books as Sir Gwain and the Green Knight and Chaucer's Tales because it helps put such stories into their proper context. Otherwise it's easy to transport such works into our contemporary society and be shocked by customs that were common then.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Not enough about the lives of women

Generally enjoyed the journey in this book and learned a lot. The performance is exceptional. Not nearly enough about the lives and experiences of women of the middle ages... and it is clearly presumed that the journeyer/reader is male.

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By God's Bones! Cry Honor!

By God's Bones!!
Call me a drassok or a fopdoodle or even a poopdoddy! I so gleefully fling my chingers at this author, in thanks.
This book may be a fearbabe, but a good one it be!
Gramercy to ye beauteous story reader!

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    3 out of 5 stars
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Historical Factoids

My review of this book is the same as the other book in the series that covers Elizabethan England, except I am less wowed this time around since the novelty of the style has worn off a bit.

I wrote:

This book was so full of interesting facts it makes me wish I had a better memory!

I enjoy learning new things; it's such a shame to think I'll only retain a fraction of this knowledge. I was riveted throughout most of it, although some topics interested me less than others so I can't say I hung on EVERY word - some passages were a little dry.

The overall concept is fantastic and it's a brilliant way to educate one's self about this time in history.

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