Daily Life in Medieval Times by Frances and Joseph Gies

In June of 1999, all three of the "Medieval Life" books by Frances and Joseph Gies -- Life in a Medieval Castle, Life in a Medieval Village, and Life in a Medieval City -- were released in one special edition. This large, attractive, hardcover work, very nicely illustrated in full color, could be considered a "coffee table book," since its dimensions are fairly generous and there is a wealth of visual entertainment packed inside.

Yet Daily Life in Medieval Times has a great deal more to offer than pretty pictures; the wonderfully descriptive details and enlightening background do just as much to bring the reader back in time to the Middle Ages as do images of castles, cathedrals, and illuminated manuscripts.

However, aside from the format and the new color illustrations, there is no other difference between this version and the older books; the newer edition does not contain additional chapters, expanded indices or updated text. If you have already purchased one or more of the three books included here, then you are familiar with the scholarship the Gieses have to offer, and you may wonder if Daily Life is worth the price.

This depends entirely on your lust for medieval imagery and a book you can show off to your friends. I already owned copies of all three books when I purchased the new edition, and I'm glad I did; but then as you might guess I'm an extreme medieval enthusiast. Daily Life may not be a must-have, but it is certainly the kind of book that will provide hours of both aesthetic and educational enjoyment.

If you have yet to experience the view of the Middle Ages through the eyes of this prolific pair of authors, then the new edition of Daily Life may prove an ideal introduction. Less expensive than the sum of all three individual paperbacks (though less portable, as well), Daily Life in Medieval Times offers numerous details on the living conditions, legal rights, family relationships, pastimes and duties of knights, ladies, burghers, housewives, peasants, craftsmen and more, all conveniently gathered in one place and gorgeously illustrated, to boot.

Each book focuses on one place (Chepstow Castle in Wales, Elton village in Britain, and the city of Troyes in France), as well as a limited time frame, to provide the clearest possible picture. However, information concerning other areas is frequently brought to bear, offering a wider perspective. The writing is clear and concise, the details are vivid, and there is no blatant bias for or against the people in these places or the people of the Middle Ages in general. The Gieses use archaeological evidence as well as excerpts from literature, letters, court records, and chronicles to tell their story. Their scholarship is sound; the result is easy to digest as well as informative.

You may be interested to know that some professional academics in the field of medieval studies are not very impressed with the Gieses. Each work offers no new theories and uncovers no new evidence; there is a prevailing sense that they are doing the reader a disservice by offering less than the most recent discoveries. If you are a serious student of the Middle Ages, you will most likely be counseled by your professors to seek a more "scholarly" approach to material culture. Since historical study is a constantly-evolving field, it is wise to look to the most recent works and to take possible changes into consideration when reading older studies.

Fortunately, I'm only an amateur medievalist, and I can freely and enthusiastically endorse these general surveys. True, the Gieses' work is not "cutting edge" history; you may discover a few outdated facts, some theories that have been challenged or even overturned by the latest scholarship, even a factual error or two. But nowhere will you find a more comprehensive, detailed, and accessible general introduction to the topic of medieval daily life. With each new avenue of scholastic endeavor, we have to start somewhere.

There is no better starting point than that provided by Joseph and Frances Gies.