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

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)

wonderful book

This was absolutely the most informative work on this time period I have EVER encountered. Jam packed with historical tidbits I have never come across before. And given to you in such a captivating manner...

Entertaining and educational

As a history and medieval historical mystery buff, I loved this book. It had me in giggles at times , but it also made me weep at times. Narrators can sometimes make or break an Audible book, however this narration was spot on. In fact, in places the narrator's tone gets the listener through some of grislier descriptions of this time period in history. I really did feel like I was actually there as a time traveler. This read was a great experience!

An Interesting Guide

This is an interesting book with good narration. My only complaint about the audio book is that the "chapter" listing in Audible doesn't match the book, making it harder to jump to a particular section.

I just wish it was longer. Loved it.

Full of detail, well read, fascinating insights and illustrations. Ian Mortimer seems to have this subject well in hand.

Fascinating!

Fascinating look at how Medieval people lived at all levels of society. This book provides a detailed look at daily life in Midieval England.

In-depth and entertaining

This book manages to take the esoteric subject of day to day living in the Middle Ages and present it in a way that’s not only digestible but in an entertaining matter as well. While it can be said that it covers both to narrow and too broad a time period (the 14th century) the book does a decent job of nothing where things may differ from the beginning and end of the century. It doesn’t suffer from the dryness that many works about the period do. If you’re at all interested in the medieval world beyond the days of kings and famous battles, you’ll enjoy this book

Outstanding.

It’s hard to overstate just how effortlessly this book does precisely what it says in the title. A handful of sentences in and you are right there breathing in the 14th century air. The effort that obviously went into it is incredibly impressive and secured and instant pre-order of Mortimer’s new book.

Fascinating Account of Medieval Social History

Mortimer brings Medieval England to life with his time traveller's guide. This book is rich in fascinating details of medieval life, many of which I heard for the first time despite having a degree in European history. Mortimer's approach to writing this book as though a travel guide really made me rethink the way I read, understand and analyze history. The stories and details take place in familiar places and in a history we all know well but it was not until I listened to this book that I felt I began to have a real understanding of the culture of the past and the people who lived in it.
Chapters are divided into sections such as law, food, travel, entertainment, etc. and explains to the would be traveller what he/she would be likely to encounter in Medieval England and dangers to look out for along the way.
My only complaint is that, at times, in the interest of providing more scholarly detail, the book slips away from its travel guide style that is so enjoyable.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in British history.

Fascinating and Thorough

This book was so fascinating, I couldn't wait to get back to it each morning when I took my walk. It covers every aspect of life in medieval England, and I learned a great deal while being thoroughly entertained. I can't wait for Mortimer's next book (Guide to Elizabethan England) to become available. The narrator was exceptional.

Fun book with a couple presentation issues

A fun history of everyday life, often funny, revealing the kinds of practical questions many histories gloss over as unimportant. I love this kind of history. Be aware the chapters in the audiobook don't match the book chapters, which makes it hard to keep track of where you are. Also, you can hear the reader take breaths. I find that irritating.