Daily Life in Medieval Europe

Most books of this type I would consider more of a reference, where you would look up a single topic you wanted to know about and only read that part. But this book was unusual in that I read it cover to cover. The topics are arranged so that the information flows naturally through each setting, giving detailed but not boring surveys of the daily activities of people living in villages, castles, monasteries and cities. This is done by focusing on single archetypical examples of each and staying with them throughout the chapter, so you actually kind of get to know the setting and some of the people in it, who are often real people taken from historical accounts. This is in contrast to most so-called 'daily life' books, which are often simply historical generalizations with a few anecdotes thrown in. I especially liked the illustrations of the various locations, placed next to diagrams of the layout, which makes it easy to understand both the appearance and function of the buildings and land features. It was also interesting to learn how different the economics were in the thirteenth century, with labor being cheap and materials expensive; each chapter repeatedly showed how important the cost of every single thing was in daily life. In the intro, the author sets out the goal of providing a solid introductory text on medieval life that isn't oriented toward either children or highly trained scholars, but general readers, and the approach taken here succeeds nicely. Edit: I would also add that writers of medieval historical fiction would do well to read this book if they want to get some of the nitty-gritty details right- it would seem a lot more convincing.

Having studied medieval and renaissance life as a personal hobby for years, I've read a lot of books on this period of time in Europe's history. My previous favorites were the series of books by Frances and Joseph Gies (Life in a Medieval Castle, etc.), but this book is now my pick. It's a general overview of daily life, starting with a chapter titled "Medieval Socity" and continuing through a thorough examination of "The Life Cycle," "Material Culture," and life in various types of situations, from villages to the monastic life. What is truly refreshing about this book and sets it apart from the others is that it's actually a good read! It lacks the utterly dry convoluted wording of far too many books on the medieval period out there, yet does not talk down to the reader or engage in flights of fancy (as "A World Lit Only By Fire" does gleefully). Readers are additionally treated to numerous black & white illustrations, including the construction of various medieval garments, what a 13th century spoon looks like, and assorted images of people from historic documents doing everyday activities. But wait! There's more... there is also a glossary, three appendices (Games, Recipes, Music), a wonderful bibliography, and an index. If I have to find fault with this important work, it is that some of the images and facts are not documented well enough. For example, there is a drawing of people harvesting grain showing many important elements of period clothing, but the caption makes no mention of where this drawing was obtained or its date so that it can be researched further. Some facts also dispute facts found in other books, so it's up to the careful reader to do some research to verify Singman's writing. But I can't recommend this book enough, especially to the student, the living history enthusiast, or anyone wanting a book that gives a clear snapshot in readable form of what life was like for the average person in medieval Europe.