The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England: A Handbook for Visitors to the Fourteenth Century

This book takes you by the hand and teaches you everything you need to know if you were to time-travel to medieval England, hence the title. Sometimes I almost felt the narrator walking by my side along the road, pointing at various places, people or events, stopping from time to time to explain some concept of medieval life that my 21st century brain might have trouble to comprehend.

Also, Mortimer succeeds in going into detail while keeping the listener entertained and attentive.

Finally, the narrator's voice is warm and clear, which is a big plus for me as English isn't my primary language.

A great read. I recommend this book to anyone who wonders what life would be if we were born in those times instead of our own.

If you are considering this book, then you are certainly already interested in 14th century English history. If that is the case, the choice is easy, since The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England: A Handbook for Visitors to the Fourteenth Century (TTTGtME:AHfVttFC for short) basically describes exactly what the book does. It is entertaining, well-written, well-received by real critics, and (apparently, since they aren't in the audiobook) has lots of references. You'll learn all sorts of interesting facts, and be given some very vivid descriptions of everything from plagues to the experience entering a town.

The only weakness is that, since there is no real narrative or argument here, the book lacks a focal character or idea, and moves back and forth in time. To that extent, it is less compelling then, say Tuchman's A Distant Mirror, which gives a better sense of how individual lives progress in the Middle Ages by following one powerful family. It makes up for this in breadth, of course, and TTTGtME:AHfVttFC is immensely entertaining, and often enlightening, while being well-read. If you like the subject, you should certainly add it to your library.

I love this time period in England and stumbled across this book recently while browsing for something new. I felt as if I had gone back in time and had my own personal tour guide who took the time to point out a lot of little details often left out of other medieval history books. I have listened to this book several times and never get tired of "looking" at medieval England while my guide answers all my questions.

This is the most unique history book I've ever had the privilege to journey through. And make no mistake, this one is very much a journey. The author encourages you to use all 5 senses, peek behind every locked door, and worm your way into all walks of medieval society as though nobody noticed you weren't native to the time. I almost feel like this should be put into the hands of anyone who claims they don't like history, and I'd certainly recommend it to anyone who's already interested. It's the perfect companion to any tome filled with names, dates, and places precisely because it isn't THAT book. Instead, it comes across more like a visceral experience. I'd love to have more books like this.

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.

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.

This book is amazing...I've been a long time fan of these times and have read lots of books like "Here Be Dragons" by Sharon K. Penman which anyone which likes these time should try (and there are two more of that trilogy) - but I've long wondered what it would be like to live there in those times and this book tells the story of how life is there - I've said many times that if I could go back to those times and be a King's sister or wife, I would...but after listening to this book I realize that I have it "pretty good" right here in 2010. This book is great and I would recommend it to anyone that enjoys this time in history as I do, to hear what it is probably like. Definitely recommend this!

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.

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

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

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

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.

This a lighthearted examination of the English Middle ages. It only examines the 14th century, but I would love reading more of this same type of book for the English renaissance, early middle ages, and the Victorian age. The narrator was good for the book and there was a touch of humor in the narration. I learned a few things I didn't know, and I certainly wish there had been "smell-o-vision" even if the author assured that I didn't.

I only wish time travel was possible so I could go.

Hmmm... History as a travelogue.

The format works extremely well here. While the actual history is well, pedestrian, that's not the point.

By framing the exposition as "Here is what you'll find..." or "this might surprise you..." the reader is engaged with the culture on an intuitive level seldom experienced outside the trappings of historical fiction.