Book Review of Ian Mortimer's "The Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England"

Ian Mortimer's approach to writing subjective history is the style I have been waiting my entire life for. His in-depth explanations of every-day life one would encounter in Medieval England as a tourist from the modern day is one a true lover of history can appreciate and aspire to. His topics cover ranges as wide as the lifestyles and differences between villeins, freemen and nobles; the relation between religion, medicinal understanding/beliefs and superstition; the differences between the expectations of men, women and children in society; and the differences between rural living versus city living.
    However, although I'm sure he used many valuable sources for his information, he doesn't quite go as in-depth, nor cover as many topics, as one would like. He does cover what one would expect to see and experience as a guest in a lord's house and that of a common freeman, but not if one were a lord. Also, though he quickly skims over the protocol for going before the king, he does not cover as much information about the royal household as he does others, and especially not if one were a guest of the king, as some monarchist historians (such as myself) would find satisfactory.
    Though there are many innuendos alluding to modernity's "progress for the sake of progress" being better than the simplicity of the topical era, the overall writing and composition of the book is quite exemplary, not to mention the information and presentation he utilizes that history readers would not find in hardly any other books. All of this undoubtedly makes Mr. Mortimer's book a must-read for fans of subjective history; the Medieval era; and the development of society before, during, and after the advent of the Black Death.

The Historyian's Rating
****&1/2 (Four and One-Half Stars)

For more information on this book, please comment on this posting.

A Recap

It has been QUITE some time since I updated this blog, and I am very, very sorry to say that it still only has two posts. This will be the third. As a recap of everything that has happened in a little over a year, I would like to note that I have done extensive research historically and have come to the life-altering decision to "slowly" work my way back in time, so to speak. To elaborate on this: I have decided to start my historical lifestyle with the Victorian era, and work my way back to the Renaissance. The transformation of my lifestyle has already begun; it is agonizingly slow but progress is being made. Ah, that fateful word: "progress". My readers may remember that I am fully and whole-heartedly against "progress for the sake of progress", but when that progress is for the betterment of one's life or of the lives of many, then it becomes a "necessary progress" not for its own sake, but for the betterment then it is the greatest kindness anyone can do for themselves and/or for anyone else.

My first step into this world, this Historyian lifestyle, has been the acquirement of an accurate corset (many thanks to corset-story.com). This may not be wholly correct: My first step was reading by candlelight nightly. Electric lights hurt my eyes, give me headaches, and, as previously mentioned, are viewed (by myself) as superfluous. My second/third step has been the acquirement of an oil lamp (many thanks to the local Salvation Army and whomever donated the oil lamp to them).

These have been the most recent developments in the life of the "original Historyian", and I will aim to update this blog weekly (if not daily). I sincerely hope you all keep reading and keep up with the Historyian way of life.

Justification Against Electricity

 I have always believed in the phrase "History never ceases to repeat itself", or "History repeats itself"; and an alteration of the phrase has become somewhat of my "trademark phrase", if you will. I give it here: 'They say "history repeats itself"; I am here to make sure that happens.'

No one can deny that they have, at least once in their life, wondered or thought about what purpose they may serve in this world before they pass on to the afterlife (or simply pass on, for those whom may not be religious or may not believe in an afterlife). I have come to the conclusion that my purpose here, before I pass on to wait for my reincarnation, is to bring back, what I call, the "simple life"; the life without electricity and mass pollution and deforestation and expansion and progress for the sake of progress. These things, as they are, disgust me. Utterly. What can I do with one single fireplace? I can heat, burn, create, cook, and light. Each of these tasks takes one electrical mechanism, and sometimes more than that, not only creating more pollution, but also costing such vast amounts of money that I have deemed them simply superfluous. Society has grown lazy and fat, the cause of which, in my opinion, is the materialism people seem to think they need, i.e., automobiles, light bulbs, televisions, computers, cellular phones, land-line phones, electronic toys, tablets, eBooks, the internet...and the list goes on.

Now, I know what you're thinking: "But you're using a computer and electricity and the internet right now!" And, yes, as a matter of fact I am. I cannot deny that I, too, have grown up Modernized. I have a cellular phone, a laptop, a television, and I cannot deny that I do love to watch my shows on cable. I have also enjoyed the luxury of mp3 players, mp4 players, CD players and automobiles (although I really don't have any interest in learning to drive, I can and do admire the craftsmanship and good-looks of a well-made and well-designed car). And yet, these are still the things that are contributing to procrastination and the "epidemic" of obesity, as well as Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), Attention Deficit Hyper Disorder (ADHD), and other attention disorders plaguing today's youths.

It has been quite a long time since I have seen anyone pick up an actual, physical book just for leisurely reading. For school and academics, yes, because they are told to do so by their instructors. And then, there are still those few whom refuse to do so, for the simple act of rebellion, the "problem with authority" "epidemic" (as I see it).

Modernization has even seeped its ugly way into our children's schools in the worst way: many schools across the United States of America (USA) are doing away with recess and outdoor playtime. It isn't even an option in many middle schools and every high school. No one walks anywhere anymore, unless it be to the neighbour's house. I feel Americans should take a look at their European cousins, utilising bicycles and their own two legs as modes of transportation. Now, yes, Europeans own cars, create cars, design and sell cars, many of which are automobiles of choice in the USA, but (and this is my own guesstimate) 85% of Europeans either ride bicycles (which take muscle power, not gasoline or electricity or anything else that causes mass-pollution) or they walk to their destinations. True, many places of importance, such as the baker, market, and other stores used on a daily or weekly basis are within a short distance from their homes or places of business, and many may use that as an excuse. But it will be just that, an excuse. We, and I am including myself in this, have become lazy, lethargic, gluttonous, materialistic; we are doing nothing but breeding more consumers for the mass-market world which promotes progress for the sake of progress, and I can honestly say that the phrase "it utterly disgusts me" is putting it far too lightly.

Remember all those tasks I could accomplish with a single fireplace? I shall elaborate on those, now, in the order I mentioned them previously.
1. Heat: - With a fireplace, or even just with (controlled) fire, I can heat a room, a home, water for cooking or a bath, and even food. To heat a room or an entire home with electricity I would require a central heating system or several "space heaters"; to heat water for cooking I would need a stove; to heat water for a bath or shower I would need a water heater, and to heat or reheat food I would need a stove and/or an oven and/or a microwave. All of these things are convenient, but they come at a great price, not only to our wallets but to our environments and our health. Microwaves put radiation (microwaves, hence the appliance's name) into our food in order to heat or reheat it, which can cause cancer. I find these things superfluous and less convenient than a fireplace. I can also heat wax to create candles, which promotes a type of recycling I don't think many people in today's day and age think of: taking the remaining wax of a candle, if any, and creating a new candle instead of going out and buying new candles like our "Consumer Brains" tell us to.

2: Burn - With a fireplace or a (controlled) fire, I can burn wood, paper, most rubbish (and all waste used in "simple living") if I didn't want to use it as compost or scraps for animal food.

3: Create - This tasks description can be a bit redundant insofar as that I can create candles from old ones or just from wax blocks melted down. I can also create many things out of various metals with the proper tools and knowledge; i.e., nails, horse shoes, screws, weapons, spoons, knives, et cetera.

4: Cook - This tasks description can also be a bit redundant: I can cook (and even bake) just about any food I'd need or want to; and even fry and (obviously) grill.

5: Light - I can light a room with torches, candles, a fireplace. End of story.

These are my 'Justifications', for lack of a better term. Take them or leave them; this is how they are.

24 February 2012 // New Scotland (N.S.) Year IV

As this is my first entry, I shall do a bit of background information.

I suppose I should start from the beginning, or at least as close to the beginning as I am able. -- For as long as I can remember, I have had a fascination with history, namely, European history: the royal families, the royal courts, the society and the all-around general way of life of the different classes has always amused me. I had spent hours upon hours pondering what it would have been like to be one of those people, from whichever class or caste. I began to read, and fell in love with, the Royal Diaries series. My favourites are the "diaries" of Mary Stuart (Mary, Queen of Scots: A Queen without a Country by Kathryn Lasky), Elizabeth I (Elizabeth I: Red Rose of the House of Tudor by Kathryn Lasky), Marie Antoinette (Marie Antoinette: Princess of Versailles by Kathryn Lasky), Eleanor of Aquitaine (Eleanor: Crown Jewel of Aquitaine by Kristina Gregory), Kristina of Sweden (Kristina: The Girl King by Carolyn Meyer), Elisabeth (Elisabeth: The Princess Bride by Barry Denenberg), Catherine (the Great) of Russia (Catherine: The Great Journey by Kristina Gregory) and Isabel of Castile (Isabel: Jewel of Castilla by Carolyn Meyer). They were my first "history" books, my windows into what it may have been like to have lived like these great and beautiful women before they became as the "Modernized" world knows them.

As I grew older, I read Historical Fiction novels, such as The Other Boleyn Girl, and The Virgin's Lover by Philippa Gregory; and Mary, Queen of Scotland and the Isles by Margaret George, before I switched to simply reading topic-based history books on the likes of Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, Anne Boleyn, Catherine of Aragon, Catherine the Great of Russia, and Marie Antoinette just to name a select few. They continue to fascinate me the more I read about them, and I hunger and thirst for more and more information, perhaps even more than is available now.

Sadly, down the years, as I have grown older and more observant of the peoples, environments, and the world around me, it seems as though these great historical people are fading into nothingness, back into the abyss, the foggy backdrop that history is becoming in today's day and age. It saddens me and only drives me to search ever-more thoroughly for further information on these enigmatic personas, these seemingly-mythical immortals of people.

In later posts, I shall do reviews on the many fictional and non-fictional books I have read concerning these topics and people, as well as descriptions and "justifications", if you will, of my views of today's Modernized society and what (I believe) people can do to change, fix, and reverse what their lifestyles have done to our world.