What do you think?
Rate this book
Everyday Life
Life in Medieval Times
An age of chivalry, color, and faith from which the modern world still draws inspiration—or centuries of violence, squalor, and superstition best forgotten? Marjorie Rowling refreshingly avoids any such extreme judgments so often passed on the Middle Ages. Instead, she looks closely at some of the people who lived and worked in that fascinating era of European history.
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1968
14 people are currently reading
240 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
December 6, 2017
Πολύ γενικόλογο, καθόλου αυτό που περίμενα, καθόλου αυτό που ήθελα, αλλά κάτι έκανε.
June 14, 2022
Everything you wanted to know about the Middle Ages is right here. Deeply researched and detailed. It's a great resource book that we used in our homeschool history studies.
Learn all about:
Charlemagne
Lords and vassals
Townsmen and traders
Women and wives
Pilgrims and crusaders
Monks and friars
Schools and scholars
Church builders and artists
Doctors and patients
Scientists and Technologists
Written in 1968, it is detailed with history, not watered down such as many of today's books are.
Learn all about:
Charlemagne
Lords and vassals
Townsmen and traders
Women and wives
Pilgrims and crusaders
Monks and friars
Schools and scholars
Church builders and artists
Doctors and patients
Scientists and Technologists
Written in 1968, it is detailed with history, not watered down such as many of today's books are.
March 5, 2012
I can see why this book didn't get any ratings or reviews. It is dry as toast. It is informative but very textbook. I think the information could be presented in a less humdrum way. I am just glad it was short. This book has everything you want to know about medieval times. It is broken down into ten chapters of nobility, monks and friars, knights and peasants and they had a section for women and wives. Women were treated as second class citizens and husbands had the right to punish them as they chose. Also, very few people actually owned their land. They had to pay homage to their lord.
February 9, 2022
Soothingly dry historical nonfiction, perfect for bedtime reading.
Read
December 12, 2019This book Everyday Life in Medieval Times by Marjorie Rowling is a useful book if you are looking to seek knowledge on the Medieval era. She has also written other books such as “Everyday Life of Medieval Travelers” and “The Folklore of the Lake District”. Everyday Life in Medieval Times was published November 20, 1973 by TarcherPerigee. My honest opinion is that this book is decent and I say decent because I feel like there could be more in depth information about certain topics in the book. I do still think it is helpful so with that being said if I had to rate this, I would give it a 4 out of 5 stars.
So first off I like the organization of how the book is set up, with each chapter focusing on a specific aspect of medieval life. Such as Scientists and Technologists, Towns and Tradesmen, Monks and Friars, Pilgrims and Crusaders, Charlemagne and Society plus many other topics. I also like how she ties in information about the French Middle Ages and if you don’t know a whole lot about it, then this will help you with that as well. If you were to do a research paper over Medieval Times, I wouldn’t recommend using this book because it only gives very broad information and not very detailed information.
Going back to not using this for a research paper, there is one fact that I found was a little off but if you aren’t necessarily looking into that topic then it doesn’t really matter. Charlemagne didn’t warn the tenants “running about to markets and fairs”; he only said to not spend too much time at markets. He never mentioned anything about fairs when stating this. Again, very broad information and I feel that this book is written as if you already know some background information about Medieval Times and what society was like and the different classes within.
The main points I liked about this book is the organization of how the chapters are set up, and also some of the information given and how she was able to tie some of the French Middle Ages into this. Although these are positives there were a few negatives to this book too. I would recommend this book if you want to get a broad overview of living in Medieval Times and you enjoy this topic. I wouldn’t recommend checking this book out if you are looking for good detailed information to use for a research paper, this is a good place to start and not a dependable work.
So first off I like the organization of how the book is set up, with each chapter focusing on a specific aspect of medieval life. Such as Scientists and Technologists, Towns and Tradesmen, Monks and Friars, Pilgrims and Crusaders, Charlemagne and Society plus many other topics. I also like how she ties in information about the French Middle Ages and if you don’t know a whole lot about it, then this will help you with that as well. If you were to do a research paper over Medieval Times, I wouldn’t recommend using this book because it only gives very broad information and not very detailed information.
Going back to not using this for a research paper, there is one fact that I found was a little off but if you aren’t necessarily looking into that topic then it doesn’t really matter. Charlemagne didn’t warn the tenants “running about to markets and fairs”; he only said to not spend too much time at markets. He never mentioned anything about fairs when stating this. Again, very broad information and I feel that this book is written as if you already know some background information about Medieval Times and what society was like and the different classes within.
The main points I liked about this book is the organization of how the chapters are set up, and also some of the information given and how she was able to tie some of the French Middle Ages into this. Although these are positives there were a few negatives to this book too. I would recommend this book if you want to get a broad overview of living in Medieval Times and you enjoy this topic. I wouldn’t recommend checking this book out if you are looking for good detailed information to use for a research paper, this is a good place to start and not a dependable work.
March 22, 2019
A good survey work and readable enough. It also references some promising sources - though without footnotes, which leaves the serious researcher with some digging to do. In general, it's a starting point, not by any means a dependable work.
The errors are what most would consider small ones, but enough to put off anyone who needs a substantial reference. Charlemagne did not warn about his tenants "running about to markets and fairs"; he simply said they should not spend too much time at markets (not a word about fairs); he did NOT implement the denier (denarius), but revalued it. Etc. If this kind of detail makes no difference to you, it is very likely you will enjoy the book and learn a great deal from it in a very general way, moving from one broad subject to the next. And if you know nothing about the French Middle Ages, it's certainly a useful and readable introduction.
The errors are what most would consider small ones, but enough to put off anyone who needs a substantial reference. Charlemagne did not warn about his tenants "running about to markets and fairs"; he simply said they should not spend too much time at markets (not a word about fairs); he did NOT implement the denier (denarius), but revalued it. Etc. If this kind of detail makes no difference to you, it is very likely you will enjoy the book and learn a great deal from it in a very general way, moving from one broad subject to the next. And if you know nothing about the French Middle Ages, it's certainly a useful and readable introduction.
December 12, 2019
The book Medieval Times by Marjorie Rowling, published by Jarrold and Sons, in 1968, in New York, is written about everyday life throughout the Middle Ages. This book was very factual but the author gave facts in a dull way. I struggled to stay focused as I read. This book is a good source if you’re looking for facts, but if you are looking to read non-fiction for fun I do not recommend it.
There were a number of things I disliked about the book. One thing I disliked about this book is that the author did not write in chronological order. She would randomly jump from century to century. One example of this is stated in chapter 7, “In 1433... In 1228 we are told” (Rowling 146, 148). Rowling jumps back two centuries just in between two pages. Also, I might have enjoyed the book more if it had more pictures. The pictures that were in the book were all black and white. Another thing I disliked is how the author doesn’t try to hook your attention with a fun fact. Even though the book has a large number of facts, there are still things I disliked about the book.
Overall, I would give Medieval Times a two out of five. I would give it a two and not a one because of how many facts there are. The book would have been less tedious and easy to follow along with if it was in chronological order and if there were more pictures. This book was boring and should only be read if you’re very interested in the topic or you are researching the topic.
There were a number of things I disliked about the book. One thing I disliked about this book is that the author did not write in chronological order. She would randomly jump from century to century. One example of this is stated in chapter 7, “In 1433... In 1228 we are told” (Rowling 146, 148). Rowling jumps back two centuries just in between two pages. Also, I might have enjoyed the book more if it had more pictures. The pictures that were in the book were all black and white. Another thing I disliked is how the author doesn’t try to hook your attention with a fun fact. Even though the book has a large number of facts, there are still things I disliked about the book.
Overall, I would give Medieval Times a two out of five. I would give it a two and not a one because of how many facts there are. The book would have been less tedious and easy to follow along with if it was in chronological order and if there were more pictures. This book was boring and should only be read if you’re very interested in the topic or you are researching the topic.
May 22, 2019
A very solid and well written introduction to Medieval life!
July 29, 2020
It was fine. Nothing really stood out to me as new information, but some of the little anecdotes were interesting.
February 21, 2016
It's a good intro to a variety of topics...the author focuses on these subjects:
1. Charlemagne and Society
2. Lords and Vassals
3. Townsmen and Traders
4. Women and Wives
5. Pilgrims and Crusaders
6. Monks and Friars
7. Schools and Scholars
8. Church Builders and Artists
9. Doctors and Patients
10. Scientists and Technologists
I was a little annoyed that the references for quotes weren't clearly indicated. And all the illustrations were numbered but only occasionally referred to and then they were referenced out of order so it was a little weird. But it did help me find a few topics I'd like to focus on, so three stars.
1. Charlemagne and Society
2. Lords and Vassals
3. Townsmen and Traders
4. Women and Wives
5. Pilgrims and Crusaders
6. Monks and Friars
7. Schools and Scholars
8. Church Builders and Artists
9. Doctors and Patients
10. Scientists and Technologists
I was a little annoyed that the references for quotes weren't clearly indicated. And all the illustrations were numbered but only occasionally referred to and then they were referenced out of order so it was a little weird. But it did help me find a few topics I'd like to focus on, so three stars.
August 1, 2012
I feel that this book delivered just what I wanted from its title- a good overview on the cross-section of Medieval societies in Europe for a novice like myself. Would be accessible, I think, to younger readers (9th graders and up) Might not be a work of great synthesis and it might not reflect current approaches to the subject (published in 1968) but I was consistently entertained. Even the sort of random illustrations and artwork was worthwhile.
February 10, 2014
This book was exactly as the title states.
It starts with Charlemagne and his effect on society (improvements). Then moves on to cover most aspects of daily life ...
lords & vassals, townsmen & traders, women & wives, pilgrims & crusaders, monks & friars, schools & scholars, church builders & artists, doctors & patients, scientists & technologists. I found the book interesting and easy to read.
It starts with Charlemagne and his effect on society (improvements). Then moves on to cover most aspects of daily life ...
lords & vassals, townsmen & traders, women & wives, pilgrims & crusaders, monks & friars, schools & scholars, church builders & artists, doctors & patients, scientists & technologists. I found the book interesting and easy to read.
June 25, 2009
Each chapter deals with a different segment of the population. Within that chapter, the information is conversational, and moves from one thing to another. There are nice drawings and a chronology outlining how these people fit into the big picture.
January 13, 2013
Medieval life is hard to understand because modern life is so much more homogeneous. In medieval times the monks / scholars / rulers were good except when they were bad. Women were simultaneously treated poorly and put on a pedestal. I went away feeling more confused than when I started.
January 7, 2009
Good general overview of the Middle Ages; objective, well-organized, fun to read; assumes some previous knowledge of basic history on the part of the reader.
May 10, 2009
love it, will definitely read it again. Good for high school students, or even advanced middle school students.
June 15, 2011
great social history...a classic survey of the times
June 14, 2013
This book describes everyday life during the Middle Ages in Europe. Deals with common people as well as the nobility.
November 30, 2008
you have to read this one
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews