The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England cover art

The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England

A Handbook for Visitors to the Fourteenth Century

 Preview

Audible Standard 30-day free trial

Try Standard free
Select 1 audiobook a month from our entire collection of 900K+ titles.
Listen to your selected audiobooks as long as you're a member.
Get unlimited access to bingeable podcasts.
Standard auto-renews for $8.99/mo + applicable taxes after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England

Written by: Ian Mortimer
Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
Try Standard free

$8.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $23.75

Buy Now for $23.75

About this listen

 Imagine you could travel back to the 14th century. What would you see? What would you smell? More to the point, where are you going to stay? And what are you going to eat?

Ian Mortimer shows us that the past is not just something to be studied; it is also something to be lived. He sets out to explain what life was like in the most immediate way, through taking you to the Middle Ages.

The result is the most astonishing social history book you are ever likely to read: evolutionary in its concept, informative and entertaining in its detail, and startling for its portrayal of humanity in an age of violence, exuberance and fear.

©2008 Ian Mortimer (P)2009 Isis Publishing Ltd Europe Great Britain Medieval Middle Ages England Royalty

What the critics say

"A jaunty journey through the 14th century, one that wriggles with the stuff of everyday life." ( Guardian)
All stars
Most Relevant
Really enticing - to visit a historic time that still has shadows left for our time.
Detailed, so well presented.

So Much to Learn!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I only hope it's as accurate as it is delightful! genuinely felt like being transported to the 14th century

so good!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Medieval England is a time and place that captures the western imagination. Here is an enlightening and evocative account of the details of daily life. A quality listen.

Highly engaging

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Superb narration from J. Keeble as always.
Aft having read both trad history books on medieval England and historical fiction set in the period, eg: Bernard Cornwel, The time traveller’s Guide gave me a unique and pleasantly surprising point of engagement half way btwn the two.

With ease didst i survive thanks to thy most excellent guide!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
As suggested by the title, I was hoping for a more high-concept ‘how to survive in medieval England’ - I.e. how a modern day person might be able to integrate, survive and even thrive in another age. Even the description of the book, and the intro, suggested this.
Instead, it seems more like a regular history book - albeit a solid, rounded and well written one. The only real difference it’s written in present rather than past tense.
This distinction of ‘living’ vs ‘dead’ history is mentioned several times throughout the book, as if the aim is to be taken seriously by historians. While this is a noble effort, I think I might have preferred the more speculative version.

Very engaging, but more like a history book than expected

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews