Shakespeare's London on 5 Groats a Day

Thames Hudson 5... a Day

by Richard L. Tames

This fact-packed guide provides all the practical advice a tourist needs to travel back four centuries to explore the booming city of London. London is big and can be baffling, but don’t worry if you don’t know a buskin from a firkin. This is the book to put you right – how to read up in advance, how to get there, settle in and keep safe on the streets, how to meet the people and find out the famous. Saunter over London Bridge with its dozens of shops and houses. Wonder at Whitehall, Europe’s largest palace. Revere the tombs of kings in Westminster Abbey. Tour the Tower of London – an archive, armoury, mint, menagerie, prison and jewel house all in one building. Watch the finest plays and players at the Rose Theatre and marvel at the bustle of business in the Royal Exchange. Go down to Greenwich to stand on the deck of the Golden Hind, the ship that sailed round the world.

London is the magnet for the talents of a nation stirring to greatness. Shakespeare bestrides the stage. At Elizabeth’s dazzling court Ralegh and Essex are rivals for her favour. From the shadows Dr Dee, mathematician and magician, proffers secret counsel to the Queen.

T&H picture researchers Sally Paley and Alice Foster won the Longman-History Today award 2010 for Historical Picture Researcher of the Year for their work on Shakespeare's London on 5 Groats a Day . 64 illustrations, 14 in color

Genres: History, Nonfiction, London, Travel, Shakespeare, British Literature, Tudor Period

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Richard Lawrence Tames, born 30 January 1946, lectures on history at Syracuse University London and is a Blue Badge guide.

Tames is also a Lecturer on London’s history for the Institute of Tourist Guiding. He has written over twenty books on different aspects of English history, including Shakespeare’s London on 5 Groats a Day.

Reviews

[Esmay · Rating 3 out of 5]

'All manner of fruit generally fill the blood with water, which boileth up in the body as new wine doth in the vessel and so prepareth and causeth the blood to putrefy and consequently bringeth in sickness.'

This book is written as a travel guide for visitors of Elizabethan London. Definitely worth a read if you want to visit the past!

I do think, however, that the given information is a bit too brief. There is much more to tell about the way people used to dress or about the food they used to eat. Richard Tames presents the facts, but not the essential background information. I also have to admit that some of the phrasing is, indeed, rather difficult to understand. I had to read a lot of the sentences a second time (not just the quotes).

Rating: 3.5 stars

[Krista · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun social history written as a travel guide.

[Su · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative and occasionally fun, but I still don't know what to do with my 5 groats.

[Mike Futcher · Rating 3 out of 5]

A reconstruction of Elizabethan London written in the style of a contemporary guidebook, Shakespeare's London on Five Groats a Day does exactly what it says on the tin. It is fascinating to look at the city as it was in an earlier time, when the Tower of London secured the walls of the City and Westminster remained far outside them, old London Bridge hadn't yet fallen down, and the south bank remained largely rural (with notable exceptions like the Globe Theatre).

Richard Tames' book is full of interesting titbits and the guidebook gimmick mostly works. We look, on arrival in the reconstructed city, through the eyes of a foreign traveller (which I suppose we are). We become convinced of the daily life of Tudor England, its grime and routine and its "clatter and chatter in the courtyards" (pg. 34). The flavour of the place emerges, though unfortunately this does not extend to the writing, which is rather dry and hampered by the guidebook structure. Enjoyment of the book is limited by the fact there is no narrative to follow, no opportunity to cut loose one's imagination from our tour guide's path. Nevertheless, under Tames' direction Shakespeare's London shows itself to be a very interesting place to visit for a time.

[Billhotto · Rating 4 out of 5]

London in 1590 was much smaller than today. Visitors can no longer see bear baitings and public executions. But one can still check out the Tower and Westminster Abbey, ride a boat on the Thames and see Shakespeare's plays at the Globe. A Queen Elizabeth still reigns over it all. London is a neat combination of history and modernity. Since Shakespeare's time the Empire has come and gone, But London remains the financial and cultural center of whatever remains of English life. London is now cleaner and safer, but also more expensive.

[Shane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like the other "___ on 5 ____ A Day" books in this series I have read, this provides some good, historic information in an easy-to-read format. It helps that I read this book while in London, which is cool.
The tone is good, and it paints a good profile of 1600 AD London. I enjoyed the sight-seeing, festivals, and entertainment chapters the most, although given the "tourist" premise, I thought there could have been more of this type of information and less about eating and generalizations about the populace.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

This little book is really very good and great fun. What it is, principally, is a social history of Elizabethan London, dressed up as a supposed guidebook for the visitor coming from abroad in the 1590s. It's a sugar-coated way of writing real history and a lot of research has gone into this. If any visitors want to supplement their modern guidebooks with something to read on the tube, this is highly recomendable.

[Barbara Henderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good wee introduction to Shakespeare's London, with the sort of everyday detail that brings a book alive (ideal for a writer). It wasn't quite written as I expected it to be - it packaged the specifics in a wider overview of the period and the place. But: very readable and perfect for dipping in and out - so a good companion volume to the bard himself.

[T · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this slightly left of centre book on 16thC London. Written for prospective tourists, it guides the reader through the era. Lots of little bits of social history, which I'm a sucker for.

[Katelyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining, amusing & informative.

[Sonia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretend tourist guidebooks are not really for me, I prefer my history straight up. This does however come with 82 illustrations - 16 in colour, earning it 3 stars.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full examination of life in Elizabethan London with details and lots of illustrations. The layout is a little clunky with fun facts distractingly placed in large swaths of text.

[Amy O’Regan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I personally like guidebooks for places I’m not going, so Elizabethan London really satisfies.

[Alice Eve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely immersive read, really written from the perspective of visiting London in 1599. Comprehensive and approachable.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A basic look at the social history of the period. Not very in depth on anything but a good starting point. Set up like a guide book and sometimes this leads to strange groupings as the author tries to fit all the information to the categories.

[S. J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

*2.5 Stars*

Scorecard: (Out of 10)
* Quality of Writing - 5
* Pace - 4
* Plot development - N/A
* Characters - 6
* Enjoyability - 4
* Insightfulness - 5
* Ease of Reading - 4
* Photos/Illustrations - 7
Final Score: 35/70 = 50%

My Review of Ancient Egypt on 5 Deben a Day

My Review of Ancient Athens on 5 Drachmas a Day

*The Gush*

This reads like a travel guide, with all the pluses and minuses that entails. Some travel guides are written with the excitement and love of the place, while others are merely a list of places and facts one needs to navigate a strange city. This reads exactly like the latter, which really dragged down what should have been one of the best readings in this time-travel for me personally. I love England in nearly any age, but Shakespeare's London should have been a fun, fast read for me. Sadly, this was the hardest one to get through yet...I'm beginning to lose faith in this series.

More about this later.

Still, I learned lots of interesting information from this book. Most of it came from the London Living and London Language boxes inserted throughout the text, but much of the text was very factually interesting and I learned a great deal. Many of the words and phrases we use today come from this time period, many of them from Shakespeare but plenty from other sources as well.

The illustrations are well chosen and the map at the end is extremely helpful. Also an insert gives a scale of what each of the numerous coins used then was worth and how they fit together. As there were well over ten different types of coins, it's next to impossible to keep up with them without that list.

There was one funny segment of this book that I wanted to share: "To the east of the city, the mean riverside districts of Wapping and Shadwell abound with low places for drinking, gaming, bowling, and cock fights, and are chiefly the resort seamen, strumpets, and scoundrels. You know whether or not you belong there." Love that; this horrible place and the writer implies you might belong in the middle of it. Very dry.

*The Rant*

This read like a text book. Which, I will point out, is suppose to be what this series is NOT suppose to be like. I don't know if the author missed the memo or simply couldn't think outside the box but this was boring, unimaginative, and a great example of what happens when a great idea fails. This is about London, one would think that the British dry wit would have been a staple within the text, as it was in Ancient Athens (which was the main reason I got through that one) but instead there was only one instance where humor was used (see above).

While this book does give you a good idea of the society and daily life in Shakespeare's London, be prepared to be made to work for this information.

*Conclusion*

If you are interested in this time period (as I am) and like the idea of history written as a travel guide, this is a decent book. Sadly, it could have (and should have) been much better then what we ended up with.

[Nadia Batista · Rating 4 out of 5]

Há muito tempo que andava a fugir a esta colecção da Bizâncio. Com títulos tão interessantes, como Florença Renascentista por Cinco Florins ao Dia ou Roma Antiga por Cinco Denários por Dia, entre outros, eis que este livro sobre Londres é lançado e eu rendo-me por completo a esta colecção.

Não sabia o que esperar quando comecei a ler Londres de Shakespeare, mas certamente fui surpreendida. Trata-se de um guia turístico para uma Londres do final do século XVI, onde tudo é apresentado ao leitor como era em 1599, de uma forma tão leve e engraçada que rapidamente chegamos ao fim com pena de não ter mais páginas.
O guia está dividido em várias partes, tal como um roteiro actual: os londrinos, a gastronomia, compras e lazer, quem é importante, e outros temas que farão as delícias dos leitores que gostam de Londres e têm curiosidade em saber como era há uns séculos atrás. Poderá haver algumas passagens que chocam um pouco, como quando as mulheres são rebaixadas por serem mulheres, mas temos de ter em mente que é, supostamente, outro século. Sinceramente, eu ri-me durante essas passagens, pois a mentalidade era tão diferente e o autor escreve-as de forma tão engraçada que não pude evitar.
O livro é extremamente interessante e bastante educativo, de uma maneira relaxada e fácil de entender. As ilustrações são também um ponto bónus, tal como o mapa no final do guia. No entanto, não consegui resistir ao impulso de pesquisar mais imagens durante a leitura. Alguns dos edifícios estavam descritos de forma tão apelativa que tinha de saber exactamente como é que eles são.

Eu comecei a ler este livro em Novembro, depois tive-o parado durante quase dois meses, e depois acabei-o de uma assentada. Estava a ler vários livros ao mesmo tempo e isto acabou por acontecer... mas este livro teve um efeito muito especial em mim. Eu estava a participar no NaNoWriMo e ler as primeiras páginas inspirou-me para escrever uma nova história, que estou a adorar.

Foi a minha primeira experiência com um livro deste género e agora arrependo-me de não ter dado uma oportunidade a esta colecção antes. Agora, definitivamente vou querer ler mais destes livros! Para os amantes de Londres e história, leiam este Londres de Shakespeare por Cinco Groats ao Dia, é uma leitura interessantíssima e sem dúvida diferente.

"A admissão depende do desempenho do candidato em exames que são, naturalmente, feitos em latim e por isso excluem inevitavelmente as mulheres."
acerca da Medicina

http://eu-e-o-bam.blogspot.com/2018/0...

[sabisteb aka callisto · Rating 4 out of 5]

London 1599/1600. Dieser Reiseführer führt einen zurück in das London der Renaissance und worauf man damals so achten musste. So gibt es statt der Hinweise auf die grassierende Schweingrippe, die ein heutiger Reiseführer wohl enthalten würde Schutzmaßnahmen gegen die Pest".
Es gibt wie in einem heutigen Reiseführer Hinweise zu Anreise, Unterkunft und kulturelle Besonderheiten des Gastlandes. Anders jedoch als in einem normalen Reiseführer wird auch auf die Entwicklung der englischen Sprache eingegangen, und woher einige der Lehnwörter stammen, was nicht zum normalen Repertoire eines Reiseführers gehört. In diesen Zusammenhang gehört auch, dass viele dieser Worte, und Zitate bzw. Buchtitel vom Übersetzer nicht ins Deutsche übersetzt wurden, nicht einmal in Klammern, was es für Leser, die nicht gut Englisch können schwierig machen dürfte einigen dieser Exkurse zu folgen.
Es folgen die üblichen Sehenswürdigkeiten und es ist erstaunlich, dass man anscheinend schon um 1600 die Schlösser und den Tower besichtigen durfte, zumindest gegen ein Trinkgeld an die Wachen.
Interessant ist auch das Kapitel über lokale VIPs, die in heutigen Reiseführern auch nicht üblich sind, aber in einem Geschichtsbuch nicht fehlen dürfen.
Einige der beschriebenen Eigenheiten der Engländer dürften einem auch heute noch bekannt sein und den Leser zum Schmunzeln bringen.

Ich hatte ein großes Problem mit der Datierung des Buches. Der Autor schreibt, sein Reiseführer gelte für das Jahr 1599/1600, S. 24 steht jedoch, dass es das 40 Regierungsjahr von Elisabeth I ist, die 1558 den Thron bestieg. 1558 + 40 macht jedoch nach Adam Riese und Eva Zwerg 1598. Dann jedoch benutzt er häufiger Zitate nach 1600, so z. Bsp. S.154 eines von 1628.
Genau wie im Rom für 5 Denar am Tag: Ein Reiseführer in die Antike stellt sich hier also erneut die Frage an wen sich dieser Reiseführer denn letztendlich richtet. An einen fiktiven Reisenden des Jahres 1600 oder einen Zeitreisenden aus unserer Zeit.
Kein Geschichtsbuch, aber eine nette Unterhaltung voller Anekdoten, die man in keinem normalen Geschichtsbuch finden würde. Möglicherweise auch eine sehr nette Ergänzung zu einem aktuellen Reiseführer, sollte man einen Urlaub in London planen. Renaissance light für Geschichtsmuffel.

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

What a fun way to do a deep dive on an historical period! This pseudo-guide book painted a vivid image of daily life for people in Elizabeth’s London, with enough pictures and humour to keep me, a usual reader of fiction, well engaged.

[Natalie aka Tannat · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m glad I read this before The Time Traveller's Guide to Elizabethan England.

It’s basically an overview of the sights and personages of London in 1599. I’d say it does what it says on the tin, but I didn’t actually tally the average daily outlay to see if the 5 groat limit was respected. Fairly interesting, but some of the phrasing was awkward.

For example: “By the time Anne was old enough to be married Hewett, who had become very rich, refused all others but Osborn, giving him both his daughter and a huge dowry.”

Osborn had rescued Anne as an infant when she fell out of the window of Hewett's house on London Bridge, you see, but something radical should have been done to that sentence.

[1 groat = 4 pence]

[Redsteve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written as a tourist guide for London, circa. 1599/1600, this book would seem gimick-y, except that the author is a historian, specializing in London, who also writes travel guides. So, as it happens, this style actually works for this book, which is written as if intended for an (unspecified) foreigner of that period, rather than for a 21st Century time-traveler. It is a quick overview of late 16th Century London (similar to Liza Picard's Elizabeth's London) and, as such, is an excellent beginner's guide. The author draws mostly on primary sources, and often refers to them as if they had just been written. This book also contains bits of "London Lore" and short lists of period terms and their meanings.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've never sat down and read a travel guide before, but this one is irristable. It is written like a modern tour guide, but set in Elizabethan London. It gives you an excellent feel for the time and many of the destinations for tourists are still the same. Yes, it helps that I just went there, but still, the "Getting There" chapter alone is worth a look.

[Traci · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the style of this book. It's a historical book but it's written in the style of a travel guide, as if you were traveling to Elizabeth's London. There's a section on each of the major places to go, people to see, and even what foods to try. An entertaining look into the everyday world of Elizabeth and Shakespeare.

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I'd thought of this. Brilliant! Excellent presentation on all the history of the era, yet all put in a lighthearted present tense as if the reader really was planning a trip to 1599 London. Loved it.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tames does a good job fitting the historical details into the faux-Fodor format.

[Cat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny and interesting. I really enjoyed it.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a travel guide to Elizabethan London. Very fun to read.

[Jennifer]

Didn't finish it before giving it as a gift, but enjoyed what I read.