Women in History - Women of the Middle Ages

Medieval women filled many roles. They worked as peasants, city-dwellers with a trade or business, healers, advocates, estate administrators, queens, religious women, writers and artists.

Grade 6-10-Recent scholarly research has added greatly to what is known about the lives of women during the medieval period, and many libraries will find that this title fills a gap in their collections. Accessible chapters cover women as peasants, skilled workers, artists, in professions, in religion, and with positions of power. In each category, education, family, economics, and lifestyle are discussed, and anecdotal sidebars add excerpts from primary sources. Generous average-quality, black-and-white period reproductions illustrate the book; only two maps are included. However, students conducting in-depth research will need to consult additional sources. The strength of the book is that the format-with almost one illustration per page, large print, and accessible language-should hold their interest, thus exposing readers to a broader range of detail than they might pursue in drier, more academic presentations.
Tina Cohen, Deerfield Academy, MA
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.