The Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England ─ A Handbook for Visitors to the Fourteenth Century

It is said that the past is another country; therefore, the wise traveler begins with a comprehensive guide. That is the theory behind historian and author Mortimer's travelogue of fourteenth-century England. Along the way, he keeps the traveler from making social gaffes, like not washing his hands before meals, and also attempts to explain a mindset that may superficially seem strange, but is really little different from that of people today. The book is organized much like a standard travel guide: points of interest, where to stay, what to wear, manners, food, customs, the law, and many small points of difference that a stranger should be aware of. Unlike many other popularizers, Mortimer sticks to primary information from the fourteenth century, rather than assuming that the Middle Ages were a uniform, static block. He dispels many of the persistent negative myths about the time, although still assuming that the reader will be shocked by some things taken for granted by natives. While medievalists might quibble with some of Mortimer's statements, the analogy holds in that the modern native of a third world country could have the same reaction to a guide to his land intended for British tourists. This is a paperback reprint of a book first published in 2008. Annotation c2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Ian Mortimer is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and was awarded the Alexander Prize in 2004 for his work on the social history of medicine. He holds a Ph.D. in history and a higher doctorate from the University of Exeter. He has penned five other medieval books, most recently the revolutionary study Medieval Intrigue: Decoding Royal Conspiracies. He has also worked for several archive and historical research organizations in the UK, where he lives with his wife and children. Visit Ian at IanMortimer.com.