The year 1000 : what life was like at the turn of the first millennium :… (alkuperäinen julkaisuvuosi 1999; vuoden 1999 painos)

This was a very interesting, informative book.

Each chapter did a split-focus, informing about a particular month and a particular aspect of society (generally associated with that month). For example, March and food, or July and food scarcity.

Lots of references, lots of small and large bits of info. If you are interested in this time period and in England, then I whole-heartedly recommend this book. ( )

2013 (my review can found on the LibraryThing page linked)
http://www.librarything.com/topic/160515#4393456 ( )

The Year 1000: What Life Was Like at the Turn of the First Millennium by Robert Lacey Wow, this is so good.
 
Easily digestible in small chunks that never fail to amaze and illuminate. School put me off history for the rest of my life. It is books like this that make me realise how it could have been taught and how much I have missed. How much damage is done in schools!
 
Well presented and a joy to drink! ( )

Danziger, Danny (Author)

I previously read [a:Robert Lacey|31112|Robert Lacey|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1271482714p2/31112.jpg]'s first and second installment in his [b:Great Tales of England|14483944|Tales of Good Sport - Stories of Fantastic Days Fox-Hunting from the Great Estates of England|Various|http://www.goodreads.com/assets/nocover/60x80.png|20126490] which I also reviewed here. I was mildly disappointed to come across many of such tales in the reading of this book, and the tales worded as similarly as they were in the books I've read, but what can one truly expect? It makes sense for the tales to serve as summations of larger books, after all. At he very least I respect his retelling of Canute bringing his throne to the shore. Promoting the correct 'full' version of the tale and its moral (that the power of a king is limited by that of nature and god) is worth however many times it needs to be retold so people will stop using it to illustrate kingly arrogance. It's a disservice to Canute's memory.

Anyway, the book is divided by month, complete with the illustrations from the Julian calender and each illustration is explained within the chapter. The result is a very good look at the year 1,000 and how little it differs from where we are now. Human nature hasn't changed that much, and [a:Robert Lacey|31112|Robert Lacey|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1271482714p2/31112.jpg] is quite good at showing the human side of things. He acknowledges that the analogies are not perfect - in particular when it comes to medical acumen - but at the same time it's heartening to see just how lusty and ridiculous people were... and still are. The riddles were a particularly nice touch.

So, to sum it all up, this is a very good overview, though I wouldn't use it as a primary resource. I shall leave you with this riddle from over 1,000 years ago:


I am a strange creature, for I satisfy women...
I grow very tall, erect in a bed,
I'm hairy underneath. From time to time
A beautiful girl, the brave daughter
Of some fellow dares to hold me
Grips my reddish skin, robs me of my head
And puts me in the pantry. At once that girl
With plaited hair who has confined me
Remembers our meeting. Her eye moistens.

So, what's the answer?


An onion.


Yeah, the other riddle they included was even worse. Now I'm just waiting for one of you to ask me to type it up.
( )