A lively, detailed picture of village life in the Middle Ages by the authors of Life in a Medieval City and Life in a Medieval Castle. "A good general introduction to the history of this period."--Los Angeles Times

If only Kodak and Bill Gates had been around 700 years ago, things would have been a lot easier for the scholars of medieval history. But, instead, it requires much digging and a healthy dose of informed guessing, always constrained by having only a small number of remaining documents to refer to. The authors have given us an interesting and detailed picture of life as the important concept of the village developed from what was once just a subsistence lifestyle. History comes alive here, and we empathize with real people and their real concerns. WAYNE BARD CHAPTERS #915, EDMONTON

Frances and Joseph Gies have been writing books about medieval history for thirty years. Together and separately, they are the authors of more than twenty books, including Life in a Medieval City, Life in a Medieval Castle, Life in a Medieval Village, The Knight in History, and Cathedral, Forge, and Waterwheel. They live near Ann Arbor, Michigan.

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