Our Bookshelf
Period Life
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Our Bookshelf |
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Listed and reviewed here are some books on medieval life (and death) that we consider well worth buying. The books are all ones that we own and have therefore read and can honestly recommend. You can also purchase any of the books by clicking on the "purchase" link by the book you are interested in. As time permits I will add more.
| Archery | Swordsmanship / Fighting techniques | Period life | Sword / Blade smithing | |
| Swords | Cannon / Gunpowder | Wood working, etc. | Blacksmithing etc. |
| Siege, Castles at war
by Daniel Diehl and Mark Donnelly ISBN 0878332138 |
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| Published in 1998 by two professional
historians to accompany a television production for the history channel.
This book seeks to convey the importance of Castles in the politics of
medieval England and life and death during the storming and besieging of
the castle. There is plenty of good historical detail and information
which is put across without being "too high brow" and the
information is backed up with lots of full colour photographs taken during
the filming of the television production. This book is a must for those
looking to re-create life in the medieval period or even just with an
interest in castles.
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Purchase
this fine work
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| The Medieval
Soldier
by Gerry Embleton and John Howe
ISBN:
1859150365 |
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| This work features the
recreation, in colour photographs, of the appearance of the fighting men
of the past, their environment - even their families. The book features
material on civilian costume, male and female, and on medieval life in
general. The book presents a range of nearly 300 colour photographs of
authentically costumed, armoured and equipped live models, posed
realistically in outdoor settings and historical interiors in Continental
Europe and Britain. The accompanying text details many aspects of
15th-century life and warfare, drawn from primary research sources in
several language. This book is a most useful reference and an aid in
getting a feel for Life in medieval Europe. My only criticism is that all
the people looked far too clean.
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this fine work
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| The
Medieval Soldier In the Wars of the Roses By Andrew W Boardman ISBN:
0750914653 |
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| Another wonderful
source of information on this fascinating subject. Andrew Boardman does
well to show what a Wars of the Roses battle would look like and how was
it fought once both sides resorted to all-out conflict. He also deals with
the difficult subject of how did the soldiers on both sides feel about
killing fellow Englishmen? This study of the medieval soldier examines
these aspects using a variety of documentary sources. Eyewitness accounts
of the men who fought as captains, archers, artillerymen, billmen,
men-at-arms and cavalry - both in England and abroad - are used to paint a
picture of 15th-century conflict in all its confusion and violence.
Evidence gleaned from the recently discovered mass grave close to the
battlefield at Towton in North Yorkshire sheds additional light on the
kind of men who fought in the Wars of the Roses, the horrific wounds
caused by the weapons of the day and proves that many had been wounded
years before their deaths and had survived. The text is supported by many
contemporary illustrations and diagrams.
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this fine work
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| The
book of Deeds of Arms and of Chivalry
By Christine de Pizan translated by Sumner Willard ISBN 027101881x |
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| Written around 1410 this book is a treasure trove of information. It is unexpected in any era prior to the 20th century to find a woman writing a book on the art of warfare, but in the 15th century it was unbelievable and this woman may even have been the foremost tactician of her day. For many years this work has been passed over by scholars as unimportant but now the book is being recognised for what it is. The Book of Deeds of Arms and of Chivalry contains much that is original to Christine de Pizan. As a military manual it tells a great deal about the strategy, tactics and technology of mediaeval warfare and is an important source for early gunpowder weapon technology. It also includes a fascinating discussion of Just War. Chrisine de Pizan like Issabelle Dest has left a lasting legacy for all historians and those interested in the 15th century. | Purchase
this fine work
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| The
Pastons: a Family in the Wars of the Roses
By Richard Barber (editor) ISBN 0851153380 |
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| This is another
work of value to the scholar and re-enactor interested in the 15th
Century. Written mainly during the last 70 years of the 15th century, the
Paston letters are a significant social document, giving a detailed record
of the lives of several generations of a wealthy Norfolk family which
moved in court circles. As well as business matters, they illuminate
leisure habits and domestic life and give insight into the violence and
uncertainty throughout England during the Wars of the Roses. Richard
Barber's edition enables the reader to follow the fortunes of the family
within a continuous narrative framework and sets the letters in their
historical context. This framework makes the book much easier to read and
understand.
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this fine work
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| The
Wars of the Roses
By Christine Carpenter ISBN 0521318742 |
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| This is not a light
bedtime read but good. It is supposed to be "An interpretation of
English politics during the extended period beginning with the majority of
Henry VI in c. 1437 up to the accession of Henry VII in 1509. This book
places the events of the 15th-century within a framework of constitutional
structures, practices, and expectations, in an attempt to show the meaning
of the apparently frenetic and purposeless political events which occurred
within that framework--and which sometimes breached it. At the same time,
it takes cognisance of the work that has been done on the period,
including work on Henry VI." I found it quite heavy going but a
useful work.
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this fine work
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| The
Wars of the Roses
By Desmond Seward ISBN 0094773009 |
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| Another work on the
War of the roses with some interesting material. First published in 1995
and now available in paperback its a work that is worth having.
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this fine work
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| The
Wars of the Roses
By J. R. Lander ISBN 0750900180 |
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| This is a work with
a different perspective and as such is of interest. In his history of the
wars of the Roses, charting their origins, progress, conclusion and
effects, the author sets the record straight by putting the wars into
their contemporary context, basing his argument on the written records of
the time, and on the results of modern research and scholarship. whether
the author is right will probably be debated for a long time by
historians.
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this fine work
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| Bosworth
Field and the Wars of the Roses
By Alfred Leslie Rowse ISBN 1853266914 |
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| The Battle of
Bosworth, fought on 22nd August 1485 brought to an end the Wars of the
Roses, that had raged between the noble houses of York and Lancaster for
nearly 100 years. A.L. Rowse recreates the dynastic conflict and he gives
a slightly different interpretation to some facts but he certainly knew
his stuff. The battles and sudden death and the transition from Medieval
to Tudor England are here in some detail.
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this fine work
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| Medieval
Warfare
Editor Maurice Keen ISBN 0198206399 |
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| This well
illustrated book explores over 700 years of European warfare, from the
time of Charlemagne to the end of the middle ages (c .1500). Twelve
scholars, experts in their own fields, have contributed to the book. It is
divided into two parts. Part one seeks to explore the experience of war
viewed chronologically with separate chapters on, for instance, the Viking
age, on the wars and expansion of the 11th and 12th centuries, on the
Crusades and on the great Hundred Years War between England and France.
The chapters in Part two trace thematically the principal developments in
the art of warfare; in fortification and siege craft; in the role of
armoured cavalrymen; in the employment of mercenary forces; the advent of
gunpowder artillery; and of new skills in navigation and shipbuilding. I
found this book most interesting and well worth having in my collection.
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this fine work
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| The
Lancaster and York: the War of the Roses
By Alison Weir ISBN 0712666745 |
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| The best history of
the Wars of the Roses I have yet read. Alison Weir's book builds the
tension to the main battles of 1460/61 beautifully. She then keeps the pot
boiling with intrigue and plotting. Somehow she manages to keep the whole
complex history, with people changing sides as it suits them, clear and
understandable. The real strength of this book for me is the
scene-setting. Almost half the book is given over to the origins of the
wars - it's by far the clearest and most thorough description I've ever
seen. Alison includes every aspect of the story, by making it a story and
not a recapitulation of mind numbing facts. This Book is extremely well
researched. It is written in almost a novel fashion, so that it feels more
like reading a good epic story as opposed to a history book.
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this fine work
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| The
Medieval Kitchen. Recipes from France & Italy
by Odile Redon, Francoise Sabban, Silvano Serventi.
Translated by Edward Schneider ISBN:
0226706850
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| Reconstructed from
14th- and 15th-century sources and carefully adapted to suit the modern
kitchen, this work is a must to anyone looking to understand Medieval
cookery and to recreate it. I particularly liked the inclusion of the
original texts in French which provide the valuable prime source for the recipes.
Three of our ladies now have this work and have made great progress in the
recreation of period foods.
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this fine work
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| The
Medieval Cookbook
By Maggie Black ISBN: 071410583X |
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| This cookbook offers a selection of 50 recipes drawn from medieval manuscripts which have been adapted for the modern cook. Whilst the dishes reflect the food eaten by many branches of society it lacks the completeness of the medieval kitchen but does make a good addition to it. The book ends with a section on herbs and medicines better reference to these are found in other books listed in this section. | Purchase
this fine work
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