Biesty Stephen, Oakes Catherine. Exploring the Past: The Middle Ages

Gulliver books, 1989 — 62 p. — ISBN 978-1854358561, 1854358561What was life like in a medieval castle? How did boys become knights? How did people travel? Where did they go? Who lived in .monastery? What did women wear? This fascinating journey into the world of the Middle Ages brings nearly 1.000 years of history vividly to life.
Stephen Biesty’s illustrations, based on art, architecture, and documents dating from medieval times, add a colorful perspective to Catherine Oakes's informative and anecdotal text.
Meticulously researched and based on relevant documents, art, and artifacts, «Exploring the Past: The Middle Ages» is an enthralling and educational study of a fascinating time.
Illustrated by Stephen Biesty, whose detailed watercolors are a delight on every page. The writing is lively and interesting, and covers a broad range of topics. Particularly delightful are the 2-page illustrated spreads showing all facets of a subject: creating a book, life in an abbey, a castle under siege, a manor and its workers, a village street scene, and a shipping port.Introduction.
The arts and learning : A child's education.
Universities ; What people thought.
Making a book.
Artists and paintings.
Religion : Monks and nuns.
The luxurious houses of God.
Saints and Pilgrims.
Crusaders and heretics.
Life of the nobility: Kings, lords, and barons.
Knights and tournaments.
Feasts.
Entertainment.
Life in the country: The lord and his manor.
Peasants at work.
Peasants at home.
Life in the towns: Buying and selling.
The guilds.
Entertainment.
Family life.
What people wore.
Health and healing.
The wider world : Navigators and explorers.
Trading with distant lands.
New discoveries and inventions.
Piecing the clues together.
Time chart.