This book is a perfect resource for anyone seeking information about the middle ages. All topics pertaining to daily life are covered in detail, making a very informative read. The consistent, predictable organization of this book makes it easy to find any information you need quickly. Pictures are used throughout to help illustrated what the author describes. All aspects are covered, including ones that are often overlooks, such as food, cleaning, healing, relaxing, and playing. Even more information can be found in the other books of this series. ( )

This was a fabulous work of popular history that I would highly recommend to writers, reenactors, and amateur history nerds. It focused on material culture rather than social history, which means that instead of getting definitions of fealty and courtly love, we get lists of medieval dyes and building materials and descriptions of everything from the wool-manufacturing process to medieval plumbing (yes, there was medieval plumbing).

Newman used a lot of secondary sources to write this book, but he frequently mentions primary sources in the text, so that his assertions feel grounded and verifiable. I did notice one or two errors (in passing he lists squash as a European vegetable!) but largely he inspires confidence through his careful writing and documentation.

This is definitely not "Everything Ever About Daily Life in the Middle Ages." First, Newman focuses on Western Europe between the 11th and 15th centuries. Although he does at least make some references to the rest of Europe and to life before and after the "high" medieval period, and he totally got my thumbs-up for acknowledging that (gasp!) not everyone was Christian in medieval Europe and we might wonder what medieval synagogues were like. Second, Newman also focuses on material culture to the exclusion of everyday work (unless the work is directly related to making things - so nothing much about agriculture, sadly) and social history (gender roles, class distinctions, religion, and many, many other topics).

But if you want pictures of the different joints used to build wooden houses in medieval Europe, or to find out how fashion in women's tunic sleeves changed in the twelfth century, this is the book for you! ( )

Engrossing! ( )

Newman's book is divided into seven sections -- Eating and Cooking, Building and Housing, Clothing and Dressing, Cleaning, Relaxing and Playing, Fighting, and Healing. Each chapter is further broken down into convenient and well-organized sub-sections that combine to paint a thoroughly detailed portrait of life at all levels of society throughout Europe. Newman points out how each of his seven areas differed from country to country and in different centuries. The writing style is simple, yet vivid and entirely engaging, bringing the middle ages to life in an easy-to-understand yet detailed way. For example, in the chapter on building and housing Newman discusses what materials were used (and where and why), how they were worked, and what tools were used for each; types of buildings and construction techniques; use of lighting, furniture, decorative elements, etc. The section on food includes what food and drinks people consumed, how food was grown, gathered, stored and served, and differences in class and geographical areas. Almost two pages are devoted to grains alone. Newman explains each element clearly, using photos to illustrate many of the concepts. He dispels common myths about the period and writes convincingly that life was much more advanced and varied than is commonly believed. This is not an academic book (no footnotes or specific source material, although there is a rich bibliography for each chapter generally), but rather a book for the casual researcher, writer or lay person who really wants to understand the middle ages. It is extremely well-written (if poorly proofed), and the only real criticism I can make of the book is the quality of the binding, which makes it hard to read the left-hand pages in the early chapters.
I have been heavily researching the middle ages for a book I am writing and have read numerous books on the subject. This one is by far the most informative and enjoyable. ( )