13th Century Mass Murderer Identified By Modern 'Criminal' Investigation.

[merithyn]

I recommend this book for the "everyday stuff". I liked it. Suitable for the curious non-academic, like me, but I think even the serious academic type would find something they didn't know in it. 

http://www.amazon.com/Time-Travelers-Guide-Medieval-England/dp/1439112908/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1380730677&sr=8-1&keywords=a+time+traveler%27s+guide+to+medieval+england

That's a good one, but my favorite is the excavation series.

http://www.amazon.com/Textiles-Clothing-c-1150-1450-Medieval-Excavations/dp/1843832399/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_y

http://www.amazon.com/Dress-Accessories-Medieval-Excavations-London/dp/1843833514/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_y

http://www.amazon.com/The-Medieval-Household-c-1150-c-1450-Excavations/dp/1843835436/ref=pd_sim_b_4



Another really good one is the Mary Rose excavation book, but it's a bit out of my price range. A friend has it, and I've spent some time drooling over his book, but not something that I'm ready to put the money out for just yet.

The one really expensive one that I've bought, however is this one:

http://www.amazon.com/Archaeology-Medieval-Bookbinding-J-Szirmai/dp/0859679047/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1380731597&sr=1-5&keywords=bookbinding+history

Worth. Every. Penny.

[Richard Hakluyt]

Meri, the Mary Rose book is being sold secondhand for pennies on Amazon.

[merithyn]

Meri, the Mary Rose book is being sold secondhand for pennies on Amazon.

I just saw that, but I wasn't sure if it's the same one that my friend has. I need to ask him if it's the same author.

[Malthus]

That stuff looks very cool, but for myself it's a level of specialization higher than I usually go for purely recreational reading on medieval England. Though I do love a good excavation report, my typical area is the mid-east.

[merithyn]

That stuff looks very cool, but for myself it's a level of specialization higher than I usually go for purely recreational reading on medieval England. Though I do love a good excavation report, my typical area is the mid-east.

Well, at the moment, I'm learning to make 14th-century brass needles and pins for modern use. So, these books are invaluable to me. I'm also looking into making some bone buttons and a few other odds and ends.

[Cecil]

Meri would like the history channel show 'Going Medieval'. A lot of the mundane stuff is covered.

I've seen it. Another great favorite of mine is Tales from the Green Valley from BBC. It shows two historians and three archeologists trying to live as early 16th-century farmers for a year. It's fascinating how much they learn about food production, household work, and general money-making schemes for plebes of the time.

We had a show around here last year which was called historical food or some such. Basically a man and a woman who was to live a week surrounded by the proper seeting, wearing the proper clothes etc. And of course eating the proper food. Most of the shows were different eras of the 20th century to give people those "oh remember that" moments but a few had them going way back. The one in the early 17th century had them being mostly drunk for a week.

[Valmy]

I didn't say it was lame; I said that it doesn't interest me. I also said that there's a lot more digging required to figure out the stuff that I am interested in than in figuring out wars, etc. In fact, the stuff that I'm interested in requires that I actually make an effort to try to learn the techniques involved in day-to-day stuff, as it's the only way to really understand what little information we've been able to salvage. That interests me.

Why the wars were fought by whom and for what? Yeah, I don't really care. Other historians can work that stuff out, and more power to them.

I'm not sure why it offends you that I feel that way, though.

What does not offend me: not caring about something though I think you are misguided a bit.  What did offend me: attacking it as easy or requiring no effort or something.  Is that really necessary?

[garbon]

I didn't say it was lame; I said that it doesn't interest me. I also said that there's a lot more digging required to figure out the stuff that I am interested in than in figuring out wars, etc. In fact, the stuff that I'm interested in requires that I actually make an effort to try to learn the techniques involved in day-to-day stuff, as it's the only way to really understand what little information we've been able to salvage. That interests me.

Why the wars were fought by whom and for what? Yeah, I don't really care. Other historians can work that stuff out, and more power to them.

I'm not sure why it offends you that I feel that way, though.

What does not offend me: not caring about something though I think you are misguided a bit.  What did offend me: attacking it as easy or requiring no effort or something.  Is that really necessary?

Actually given that it is easy, will Meri please clear up for me who killed Lord Darnley, ordered the hit on Andrew (Duke of Calabria), and where those princes in the tower went?

[merithyn]

What does not offend me: not caring about something though I think you are misguided a bit.  What did offend me: attacking it as easy or requiring no effort or something.  Is that really necessary?

I'm misguided in what I find interesting? Wow. Think about that statement for just a second, will you?

Also, I didn't say it was easy or that it required no effort. I said that it's easIER than learning about peasants. If you know anything about history, you know that this is true. The MOUNTAINS of documents about royals, government, wars, etc., make it much easier to figure out how people lived at that level of society, who the royals were, and why wars were fought. Does it answer everything? Of course not. Do I really care? No, not really. I know the basics, I get the gist of it, and pretty much, that's where my interest lies.

You enjoy it. Great! Have fun reading about it. There's lots out there for you to read about. The stuff that I'm interested in, however, is... lacking, comparatively.

I'm still not understanding where the affront is.

[merithyn]

Actually given that it is easy, will Meri please clear up for me who killed Lord Darnley, ordered the hit on Andrew (Duke of Calabria), and where those princes in the tower went?

I forgot that this was Languish, where words mean whatever others want them to mean, rather than how they were used in sentences.

[mongers]

What does not offend me: not caring about something though I think you are misguided a bit.  What did offend me: attacking it as easy or requiring no effort or something.  Is that really necessary?

.....

I'm still not understanding where the affront is.

People bringing their own real-world frustrations to bare on fellow languishites ?

[Tamas]

I am not going to read it, but how the hell, has the thread about a cool thing turned into Meri-bashing after she mentioned her cool interest in a cool period?

What a sorry-ass place this can be at times.

[merithyn]

I am not going to read it, but how the hell, has the thread about a cool thing turned into Meri-bashing after she mentioned her cool interest in a cool period?

What a sorry-ass place this can be at times.

You know, I stopped wondering about that a long time ago. If I focus too much on it, I remember why I take breaks from this place.

[garbon]

I am not going to read it, but how the hell, has the thread about a cool thing turned into Meri-bashing after she mentioned her cool interest in a cool period?

What a sorry-ass place this can be at times.

Because of this:

A nice contrast to you know, who married Z queen, which king followed Y kings and when was X battle fought.

Learning about royalty and wars is easy. I want to know about the day-to-day stuff.

[mongers]

I am not going to read it, but how the hell, has the thread about a cool thing turned into Meri-bashing after she mentioned her cool interest in a cool period?

What a sorry-ass place this can be at times.

Yes, it is rather sad if you look at it that way.   

And if people actually read what Meri posted in reply to my comment, rather than someone else's version of it, they'd see what an odd reactive mentality is being expressed in this thread.