Life in a Medieval City [Paperback]

Joseph Gies (Author), Frances Gies (Author)

Book Description

For students, researchers, and history lovers, a look at day-to-day life in a rarely explored era. "About life and death, midwives and funerals, business, books and authors, and town government."--Choice

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Frances and Joseph Gies have been writing books about medieval history for thirty years. Together and separately, they are the authors of more than twenty books, including Life in a Medieval City, Life in a Medieval Castle, Life in a Medieval Village, The Knight in History, and Cathedral, Forge, and Waterwheel. They live near Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (September 30, 1981)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060908807
• ISBN-13: 978-0060908805
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #264,159 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

52 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best on subject., May 16, 1999

By 

Jean Nava - See all my reviews

This review is from: Life in a Medieval City (Paperback)

I have been researching the Middle Ages for a number of years and this is one of the most even -handed books I have come across. The authors are researchers par excellence, and have presented their findings in an imminently readable form. If I were not already a student of the Middle Ages, however, I might have found the wealth of detail somewhat overwhelming and some of the terms and references obscure. This is a book for people who really want to know.

39 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars History made accessible, April 21, 2004

By 

James K. Hoffman "Book Addict" (Jersey Village, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Life in a Medieval City (Paperback)

First of all, the authors set out to simply enlighten the modern reader as to the daily life of a Medieval city-dweller. They had no hidden agenda, just the report of the facts, as best as they could determine from existing documents and sources. Their work represents a fairly accurate representation of what life might have been like for the average city dweller during the Middle Ages.
Second, they focus on one, particular city, namely Troyes. But, what they discuss can be generalized to other cities. Also, they compare Troyes to other cities of similar size and time periods, as examples of how standard, or not, Troyes was.
Thirdly, they use easy to understand language without talking down to the reader. They don't try to make their historical personages talk to the reader, but, instead, let the occasional quote do their talking for them. They speculate only a little bit about what the people might have been thinking, focusing instead on what they actually did.

All in all, a very enjoyable book. I recommend it to anyone who has an interest in the whys and hows of life in early cities.

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An intriguing book about life in the middle-ages., January 17, 1998

By 

Spiros Papadimitriou ([e-mail]) (Crete, Greece) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Life in a Medieval City (Paperback)

I read this book out of curiosity and I am glad I picked it up. The book's description of Troyes is quite detailed, complete and at times truly engrossing. The authors cover most aspects of life in the middle-ages and provide some insight in the developments during that time, as well as their significance (although this isn't the book to read if you are mostly interested in detaileed, scholarly historical analyses of the time). To sum up, a very pleasant book to read, full of interesting information about everyday life in another era. Recommended!