Customer Reviews

The Writer's Guide to Everyday Life in Renaissance England (Writer's Guides to Everyday Life)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If your interest in the Renaissance centers on 16th century England, then this book's for you. With chapters arranged by broad subjects, such as Everyday Life, Government and War, and Society, it's easy to locate topics. If you are looking for a quick reference tool specific to the English Renaissance, this book belongs in your collection

Not just for writers, but historians, hobbyists, and anyone interested in the small details of life in other times. This volume, like the others in the series, includes chapters (with figures and illustrations) on food, clothing, family life, work, education, religion, leisure activities, social and political history, etc. Great for browsing, great for research. Recommended.

The Writer's Guide to Renaissance England is a fantastic resource for everything to Elizabethan clothing, to what they ate, what they believed in and anything you need to research an aspect of English Renaissance culture. It's descriptive, thoural, and extreemely helpful.

Most Americans who would be interested in such things, after all, have probably visited a Colonial reconstruction (like Williamsburg) at some point, and seen the artifacts of the period up close and personal, so it doesn't matter too much that the volume this series offers about Colonial America isn't too well supplied with pictures. But visual recreations of Elizabethiana are thinner on the ground, and it would have helped to have been able to see something of the objects described (I had to haul out one of my costume references to comprehend the description of Anne Boleyn's trademark headdress, for example). That much said, the book is packed with useful information ranging from plots against the Virgin Queen to how much things cost to education, language (including the Scots dialect), and witchcraft. And it offers sizeable bibliographies of other books to seek out in connection with various specialized subjects. On balance, I have to say that I got a lot out of it, and would recommend it as a good jumping-off place for students as well as writers.

I bought this book years ago because I love stories set in the Medieval and Renaissance periods. What I loved about this book, is that it helped me to get a wide variety of information in short period of time. It provides information about clothing, food, money, the law, and royalty. I used it to create a 30 page story in college.

Because of the amount of information, as well as bibliographical listings for you to expand upon your research, it makes a great reference when you are writing a story set in this period. If you are writing a novel or a feature-length screenplay, you'll need more information than is covered in this book, but for a short story or to supplement information that you have, it is fabulous. You can also use it when you have no idea where to begin your research. The bibliographies are designed so that you can find out information on a specific subject quickly rather than researching the whole period in general.

I was very impressed with this product. After searching for a copy that wasn't a former library edition, as this was a gift for my husband, I finally found one, and it was as if new. It also came in a very timely fashion. The price was excellent, too. Thanks!

The writer's guide to everyday life in Renaissance England is a very useful tool for the book I am researching and will soon begin writing.

This is the second time I've bought this book. It's a great keeper for writers of historical fiction. Highly recommended!

A great, useful, and engaging reference book about everyday life during the Renaissance. That is, rather than the big historical events and figures, more about what normal life was like for all walks of life during the period. Covers entertainment, employment, beliefs, clothing, food, royalty to yeomen, city to country life, and technology and trade. Though not an easy straight-through read (more of a reference book), it is incredibly handy, chock-full of information, and brilliantly fascinating. I read it for background in preparation of Renaissance Faires, and I got a great feel for the period. This, after all, is what history is all about--the everyday world of the past. Grade: B+