General Illustrations and Reference
Medieval Panorama
Edited by Robert Bartlett, Thames & Hudson, 2002. 800 illustrations, 612 in colour
Large coffee table sized hardback book with good reference for all aspects of life on the medieval world such as clothing, tools, battles and interiors.
Medieval Life and Leisure in the Devonshire Tapestries
Linda Woolley, Victoria & Albert Publications, London, 2002
Superb full colour book on these great tapestries owned by the Victoria & Albert Museum, London with great reference for mid 15th century costume for both noble men and women. There are four great pull out pages at the back of the book of each
tapestry in full.
Medieval Women; A Social History of Women in England 450 – 1500
Author Henrietta Layser, Phoenix Press, 2002, 4th impression
Scholarly account of aspects of women’s lives with lots of primary sources to read and an excellent bibliography at the back.
Women in English Medieval Society; edited by P.J.P. Goldberg, Sutton Publishing Limited, 1997
First published as Women is a Worthy Wight: Women in English Medieval Society – 1200 – 1500 by Alan Sutton
Publishing Limited, an imprint of Sutton Publishing Limited, 1992. A collection of scholarly essays by a
selection of historians on aspects of medieval women’s lives such as marriage, women as landholders and
administrators, economic opportunities for women in town and country. You need to be awake and concentrate for
this one but there is some very interesting info.
Clothing
The Medieval Tailor’s Assistant – making common garments 1200 – 1500
Sarah Thursfield, 2001. Ruth Bean Publishers, Victoria Farmhouse, Carlton, Bedford, MK43 7LP
Good basic information on how to start making medieval costume if you have never sewn before. However I would still ask a more knowledgeable friend to help.
Leather and Fur: Aspects of Early Medieval Trade and Technology
Edited by Easter Cameron, Archetype Publication for the Archaeological Leather Group, 1998
Eight papers by archaeologists relating to aspects of the leather industry in Europe. Very interesting and an essential to understanding the medieval period – fur and leather was an important industry.
Dress Accessories c1150 – c1450; Medieval finds from excavations in London 3
Geoff Egan and Frances Pritchard, Museum of London, The Boydell Press, 2002, 2nd Edition.
A superb volume written by archaeologists primarily for archaeologists however it is full of line drawings and details of many everyday items excavated in London – brooches, pins, buckles, hair accessories, finger rings etc. There is detailed dating and context for the finds too. This book represents the best scholarship and expertise on the subject and is essential if you are looking for
accurate for good reference.
Shoes and Pattens; Medieval finds from excavations in London
Francis Grew and Magrethe de Neergaard, Museum of London, Her Majesty’s Stationary office, 1987
This is the part of the same series as the Dress Accessories c1150-c1450. A superb volume written by archaeologists primarily for archaeologists however it is full of line drawings and details of shoes and pattens excavated in London. There is detailed dating and context for the finds too. This book represents the best scholarship and expertise on the subject and is essential
if you are looking for good reference.
Cloth and Clothing in Medieval Europe; Essays in memory of Professor E.M. Carus-Wilson, Pasold Studies in Textile History 2, Edited by N.B. Harte and K.G. Pointing, Heineman Educational Books, The Pasold
Research Fund Ltd, 1983.
An excellent series of academic papers detailing a number of studies made about
the textile industries in Europe with interesting topics such as ‘Beds and Bedclothes in Medieval Norway’ and
‘The diffusion of Knitting in Medieval Europe’. It is probably out of print so it would be hard but not
impossible to find a copy.
The English Fur Trade in the Later Middle Ages; Second Edition.
Elspeth M. Veale, London Record Society, 2003.
Nine chapters on aspects of the fur trade in England from the 13th to the 15th centuries (just as relevant to the rest of the UK
as England). This edtion has a select supplementary bibliography as much archaeological work had been carried out regarding the
fur trade since Veale's 1st edition in 1953.
Excellent info on it's importance to industry, the import and export trade, use in society and the various guilds relating to
furs in the middle ages. There is detailed info on the names of fur types and their use and a great glossary.
It is great this book has been republished.
Cookery
The Medieval Cookbook Author Maggie Black, British Museum Press
About eighty 14th and 15th century recipes, adapted modern recipes and colourful medieval illustrations, a good starting point if you've never done any medieval cookery before.
Curye on Inglysh; English culinary manuscripts of the fourteenth century (including the Forme of Curye)
Edited by Constance B. Heart and Sharon Butler, Oxford University Press
About 400 recipes from more than 20 manuscripts. Very interesting to read, but a lot of experimentation required if you were to try to recreate one of these recipes. Has a very useful glossary at the back for those (like me) whose Early English is shaky.
Take a Thousand Eggs or More; A Collection of 15th century recipes adapted for Modern
Cookery(Two volumes)
Author Cindy Renfrow, Royal Fireworks Press
The first volume contains over a hundred recipes with modern adaptions. Warning: oven temperatures are in
fahrenheit and the author is American so occasionally she suggests ingredients that are hard to get in
Scotland, but those I have tried have worked fine. The second volume contains another 300 15th century
recipes with tips on how to adapt them. An experienced cook will have no trouble.
The English Housewife; Containing the inward and outward virtues which ought to be in a complete
woman.
Author Gervase Markham, Edited by Michael R. Best, McGill-Queen's University Press
First published in 1615, this is a Tudor period book but still an interesting read. This is a great source book and not just of cookery recipes, Markham also instructs women in 'physical surgery', looking after their dairy, and to how to dye wool, hemp and flax.
Written a couple of hundred years after Curye on Inglysh, Markham's recipes are a lot less cryptic, and Best has annotated the book
well, but some experimentation will still be needed if you are trying to recreate using a modern oven. Best has added a good glossary and a short biography of Markham (one of Queen Elizabeth's young courtiers whose family fell on hard times).
Weapons and historical fight manuals
The Art of the Quarterstaff: A Modern Study of Renaissance Technique.
By David Lindholm, Publisher: Chivalry Bookshelf, U.S, 2006
Old Sword-play: Techniques of the Great Masters.
By Alfred Hutton, Dover Publications Inc, 2002
The following books are facsimiles of original manuscripts from the Medieval and Tudor periods held in archive collections today.
They offer a unique insight into the martial arts of these periods:
Codex Wallerstein: A Medieval Fighting Book from the Fifteenth Century on the Longsword, Falchion, Dagger, and Wrestling.
By Grzegorz Zabinski, Publisher: Paladin Press, U.S, 2002
Medieval Combat: A Fifteenth-century Illustrated Manual of Sword fighting and Close-quarter Combat.
By Hans Talhofer, Publisher: Greenhill Books, 2006