The Time Traveller's Guide to Elizabethan England
Published on 7. March 2013
Book
Paperback/Softback
432 pages
978-0-09-954207-0 (ISBN)
Description
'A fresh and funny book that wears its learning lightly' Independent
Discover the era of William Shakespeare and Elizabeth I through the sharp, informative and hilarious eyes of Ian Mortimer.
We think of Queen Elizabeth I's reign (1558-1603) as a golden age. But what was it actually like to live in Elizabethan England? If you could travel to the past and walk the streets of London in the 1590s, where would you stay? What would you eat? What would you wear? Would you really have a sense of it being a glorious age? And if so, how would that glory sit alongside the vagrants, diseases, violence, sexism and famine of the time?
In this book Ian Mortimer reveals a country in which life expectancy is in the early thirties, people still starve to death and Catholics are persecuted for their faith. Yet it produces some of the finest writing in the English language, some of the most magnificent architecture, and sees Elizabeth's subjects settle in America and circumnavigate the globe. Welcome to a country that is, in all its contradictions, the very crucible of the modern world.
'Vivid trip back to the 16th century...highly entertaining book' Guardian
Discover the era of William Shakespeare and Elizabeth I through the sharp, informative and hilarious eyes of Ian Mortimer.
We think of Queen Elizabeth I's reign (1558-1603) as a golden age. But what was it actually like to live in Elizabethan England? If you could travel to the past and walk the streets of London in the 1590s, where would you stay? What would you eat? What would you wear? Would you really have a sense of it being a glorious age? And if so, how would that glory sit alongside the vagrants, diseases, violence, sexism and famine of the time?
In this book Ian Mortimer reveals a country in which life expectancy is in the early thirties, people still starve to death and Catholics are persecuted for their faith. Yet it produces some of the finest writing in the English language, some of the most magnificent architecture, and sees Elizabeth's subjects settle in America and circumnavigate the globe. Welcome to a country that is, in all its contradictions, the very crucible of the modern world.
'Vivid trip back to the 16th century...highly entertaining book' Guardian
Reviews / Votes
Ian Mortimer manages to inform and delight in equal measure. * The Bookseller * As Mortimer puts it, "sometimes the past will inspire you, sometimes it will make you weep". What it won't do, thanks to this enthralling book, is leave you unmoved * Mail on Sunday * With Shakespeare on hand to give us extra insight into how Elizabethans saw themselves (and what they - often to our eyes inexplicably - found funny), and a society playing out its growing sense of self-awareness as it tiptoes to a modern age, the stage is set for a fresh and funny book that wears its learning lightly * Independent * Mortimer brings the same depth and flair to the age of Shakespeare and the Virgin Queen. From dental hygiene to table manners, the findings fascinate - even if we don't wish that we were there * Independent i * Mortimer's book has something for everyone... His curiosity is boundless and his profound scholarship is leavened by a sense of fun * Daily Express * Entertaining history of the country's landscape, people, religion, health and culture in the 16th century * The Times * Ian Mortimer realistically describes the down-to-earth details of everyday living and stirring times in the England before and after the 1590s * Saga Magazine * Fascinating account of everyday life in Elizabethan England. * PA syndicated review * It is a magnificent social history, rich and scholarly, but with the verve and intrigue of a great novel. * Rory Clements * Fascinatingly readable * Country Life *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Vintage Publishing
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 127 mm
Width: 194 mm
Thickness: 30 mm
Weight
364 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-09-954207-0 (9780099542070)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Ian Mortimer
The Time Traveller's Guide to Elizabethan England
E-Book
03/2012
1st Edition
Vintage Digital
€10.99
Available for download
Person
Dr Ian Mortimer is the Sunday Times-bestselling author of the Time Traveller's Guides to Medieval England, Elizabethan England, Restoration Britain and Regency Britain, as well as four critically acclaimed medieval biographies. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society in 1998. His work on the social history of medicine won the Alexander Prize in 2004 and was published by the Royal Historical Society in 2009. He lives with his wife and three children in Moretonhampstead, on the edge of Dartmoor.