Ann Baer

Medieval Woman

Village Life in the Middle Ages

Price: £9.99

Select a format:

Select a retailer:

Details

Imprint: O'Mara Books

Publication date: 22/02/2018

ISBN: 9781782438984

Subject: Fiction

Binding: Paperback

Size: 198 x 129 mm

Extent: 304 pages

Illustration: b/w line drawings

Territorial Rights: World (All Languages)

Trade

Effortlessly manage bulk orders with us, simply enquire for pricing and detailed information. Our team is ready to ensure a smooth process for you.

Enquire now

Summary:

A year in the life of a peasant woman in medieval England is vividly evoked in this extraordinary portrait of Marion, a carpenter’s wife, and her extended family. Based on years of research, Ann Baer brings to life the reality of a world that has been lost.

Rising before dawn in a tiny village to a day of gruelling hard work, Marion and her husband face the daily struggle for survival. Starvation is never far away and travel to the next village is virtually unheard of. Existing without soap, paper or glass and with only the most basic of tools, sickness, fire and natural disaster ever threaten to engulf the small, tightly knit community.

At the mercy of the weather and the Lord of the Manor, each equally unpredictable and inescapable, Marion’s life is burdensome but also displays an admirable dignity and fortitude in the face of adversity.

The little village is at one with the natural world around it and each member has a role to play and a place in the hierarchy.

Simple people, living unrecorded lives in remote villages not on the way to anywhere are brought back into focus in Medieval Woman. Ann Baer defines and celebrates the woman at the heart of the community.

This is a unique approach to history, compressing decades of in-depth research on the Middle Ages into one single, immersive, compelling narrative.

Reviews:

A] month-by-month account of a medieval woman's life, completely persuasive and ringing with truth. If a medieval peasant woman had ever written a diary it would be like this.

Philippa Gregory, The Times

It is history at its readable best

Yorkshire Gazette & Herald

Sales points:

  • One of Philippa Gregory's top ten history must-reads, who described it as 'completely persuasive and ringing with truth'

  • A very human history, and a vivid portrait of daily life for everyday people in Medieval times

  • Celebrates the woman at the centre of the family and heart of the community

  • Wonderfully detailed, evocative and based on decades of research

  • Ann Baer is now 103 years old, and features in a forthcoming anthology of 'amazing centenarians'

About the Author:

Ann Baer

Ann Baer was born in April 1914, and was a Director of the fine art publishers Ganymed Press, alongside her husband Bernhard. Previously, she attended Chelsea School of Art before working as a civil servant during the Second World War. She hand-illustrated Medieval Woman, and has maintained a lifelong interest in medieval England.