The Time Traveler's Guide to Elizabethan England

July 29, 2013
Rarely does a travel guide stand the test of time quite like this colorful and hypothetically practical portrait of Elizabethan England. Historian Ian Mortimer, a former fellow of the Royal Historical Society, escorts the Anglophile on a tour of his native country five centuries ago, where 3s could buy you a personal tour of the Tower of London's dungeons. Disguised as a trip-planner, this lively historical account stays true to form offering readers travel advice such as fashion trends (ruffs and ruffles rule), diet tips (avoid tomatoes), and much-needed safety notes such as why bathing is unhealthy and how many arrows to keep on hand. On the topic of good manners, it is customary to remove your hat when in the presence of public urination and true gentlemen greet women with a full-on kiss on the lips, a custom that possibly explains why in 1563, over 17 thousand people succumbed to the plague. Motimer explores many facets of England's "Golden Age" with intricate detail yet a lightness in tone. He riffs off fellow scholars to fill the gaps in this upbeat and in depth account. Wildly entertaining, Mortimer fresh approach to history will draw in many types of readers. Agent: George Lucas, Inkwell Management.

November 15, 2013

This highly detailed and meticulously researched work is an exploration of daily life and major developments in Queen Elizabeth's England. As in his earlier The Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England, here Mortimer leads the reader through the sights, sounds, landscapes, people, and customs of a time and place in history. The work compares the era to those before it and to modern times. Like a particularly intriguing but traditional schoolmaster, narrator Mike Grady gives a precisely punctuated performance that will make listeners feel as if they are enjoying a documentary. Unfortunately, much of the information is presented with plentiful, often grueling laundry lists of examples, dates, and numbers when a few well-chosen illustrations might have sufficed. The author attempts to make the material more accessible by taking readers back in time with occasional second-person presentations and sporadic "travel guide" references. This novel approach is largely unsuccessful in audiobook form owing to the copious minutia, redundant examples, and inherent difficulties of picturing intricate descriptions with only auditory stimulation. VERDICT This work will be well received by history enthusiasts, historical fiction readers, and researchers, but it will likely be too detailed for most readers with only casual interest.--Lisa Youngblood, Harker Heights P.L., TX

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