Archers, Alchemists: and 98 Other Medieval Jobs You Might Have Loved or Loathed (Jobs in History) - Hardcover

Galloway, Priscilla

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1550378112 ISBN 13: 9781550378115

Publisher: Annick Press, 2003

Synopsis

This book allows us to explore a popular fantasy. If we could go back in time to the Middle Ages, what would we want to be? A knight in shining armor? A princess in a silken gown? Most people’s lives were far less glamorous but just as fascinating. Barbers cut off beards ... and sickly limbs; gong farmers cleaned out latrines ... and sorted through the excrement for dropped buttons or pennies. This fascinating and original guide presents 100 careers, described with historical accuracy and the author’s renowned wit! Sidebars expound on intriguing elements of medieval life, including the Bayeux Tapestry, Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, medieval cosmetics, and torture techniques! The art provides the reader with further opportunities to have fun and learn.

About this title

About the Author:

Priscilla Galloway has held many careers herself, such as garbage collector, cucumber farmer, scuba diver, professor, and writer. She has written over 20 books, including The Courtesan's Daughter, Truly Grimm Tales, which was named a YALSA Best Book for Young Adults, Too Young to Fight, which won the Bologna Ragazzi Award for YA non-fiction, and the Tales of Ancient Lands series.

Martha Newbigging is a graphic designer, film animator, web designer, and children's book illustrator. She is currently at work on an animated film.

Review:

Packed with fascinating detail... this book is a real eye-opener that kids will love. (Krys Stefansky Virginian-Pilot 2004-01-13)

One to dip into again and again for a chuckle or a revelation. (Alison Chadsey Victoria Times Colonist 2004-01-18)

Clear, chatty language and short descriptions along with lots of white space, large type, and cartoon illustrations make this an appealing book... A terrific supplement to Middle Ages units. (Anne Chapman School Library Journal)

An anything-but-dull look at that time period... filled with cool cartoon-style illustrations and interesting sidebars. (Marcia Borucki Chicago Tribune 2003-09-30)

Not only an enjoyable read but also a useful reference book with many potential applications for role-playing, creative writing, and other research projects. (Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books)

Witty, charming and packed with information... enjoyable read... will teach readers of any age much about Medieval culture. (Lucy Schall VOYA)

Brings the middle ages to life... accurate information presented with humor and wit. (Elizabeth Shaffer BC Parent)

The jaunty, cartoonlike ink drawings, brightened with color washes, heighten the informal, upbeat tone of the informative text. (Carolyn Phelan Booklist / RBB 2004-01-01)

Priscilla Galloway and her illustrator, Martha Newbigging, have done an exceptional job with this book. Galloway's text combines wit with scholarship, and Newbigging's many whimsical, colored illustrations complement the text. Medieval life has often been seen as nasty, brutish, and short, slightly mixed with lashings of overdone Arthurian chivalry. However, Galloway quickly dispenses with this one-dimensional point of view, bringing us instead a picture of a well-organized and diverse social system, which at times, however, seems virtually incomprehensible to the modern mind. Highly Recommended. (Ian Stewart Canadian Materials 2003-10-31)

About this edition

• Publisher: Annick Press
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 1550378112
• ISBN 13: 9781550378115
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 96
• Illustrator: Newbigging Martha