How to Survive in Medieval England is an all-ages readable look at life (and how not to die) in medieval England written by Toni Mount. Due out 30th Aug 2021 from Pen & Sword, it's 176 pages and will be available in paperback and ebook formats.
The author takes an actively engaging point of view with this daily-life vignette - the reader is a time-traveler heading to medieval England to study and experience life. What should the reader pack? How to prepare? What prophylactic healthcare steps must we do before we leave (vaccines, supplements, oral healthcare, and so on)? She goes on to provide glimpses into daily life and survival across a broad range of social strata, from peasant to lord and shows how they differ from one another.
Chapters are arranged thematically by subject: social structure & housing, religion & beliefs, clothing, food & shopping, health & medicine (some really hair-raising info here), work & leisure, families, warfare and law & order. The book is meticulously annotated and the chapter notes will provide a wealth of sources for further reading. There's also an abbreviated bibliography and cross-referenced index.
The book is modestly illustrated throughout with period illuminated pages showing scenes from domestic life, implements such as eating utensils and tools, and drawings of famous (and unknown) people going about their daily lives.
The fact that the book is layman accessible and engagingly easy to read will make it a very good choice for school or library acquisition. I would recommend it for re-enactors as well (SCA and soforth) as there are a number of good illustrations for copyable tools and eating utensils.
Five stars.
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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