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Historical Medieval Britain: The Age of Chivalry by Lloyd and Jennifer Laing $16.95 / St. Martain's / 1998 M edieval Britain provides a competent overview of all aspects of life in the rugged but charmed period before the Reformation. Unfortunately, generalizations-which are the bane of much loose historical writing-crop up like weeds in these pages. (We learn, for instance, that "the life of a court dwarf was not a bad one.") But when the authors avoid these lazy statements by supplying anecdotes and colorful instances, this book becomes entertaining and, at times, thorough. In areas less concerned with morés, Medieval Britain is chock full of interesting, though brief, articles on the structures of life. It is especially good at addressing issues of industry, such as land tenure, coinage, and the rural economy. Too general to be of much use are the sections on leisure, fashion, food, and feasting. This book is essentially an introduction to the times, with beautiful color plates and illustrations, and is intended for general readers new to the Middle Ages. Such readers may want to jump into the water fast, but not plunge too deep. --Duke Shadow

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