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| Terry Jones' Medieval Lives | 
| Author: Terry Jones
Publisher: BBC Books
Category: Book
List Price: $14.95
Buy New: $8.79
You Save: $6.16 (41%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  13 reviews
Sales Rank: 272150
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 224
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 4.9 x 0.8
ISBN: 0563522755
Dewey Decimal Number: 909
EAN: 9780563522751
ASIN: 0563522755
Publication Date: May 1, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand New, Perfect Condition, Please allow 4-14 business days for delivery. 100% Money Back Guarantee, Over 1,000,000 customers served.
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| Customer Reviews:
 A Scintillating Read February 18, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This is an excellent overview of an often misunderstood and underappreciated era. The authors present copious quanties of information, but never become pedantic or tiring. This book would be a good introduction to the era for those whose history education fell short in this respect. I've been a student of the medieval period for years and I learned a good bit that was new to me.
Surprising August 24, 2006
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
It is often said that `history is a lie agreed upon.' If one reads Mr. Jones' Medieval Lives, this aphorism is very appropriate. I approached this book with a little trepidation, but after reading the first couple chapters, one cannot help but be impressed with the impressive citations. Unlike some other popular histories, Jones does not fall into the trap of quoting other popular histories as gospel truth. Instead, Jones cites from material such as the "Constitutional History of England in the Fifteenth Century" or "The Monastic Order in Yorkshire, 1069-1300". The beautiful thing is that Jones writes in a very clear and concise way, but does not dumb history down to a level that is all to often the norm for popular history tomes. One of the highlights is the section on outlawry and the resultant development of the jury system. Anyone involved in the practice of criminal law would agree that, as Jones writes: "compared with the evil of the corrupt world of public administration, symbolized by the sheriff, the outlaw was a model of propriety." In fact, after reading the 'Outlaw' section, I typed the "Outlaw Poem" and have it hanging in my office. Overall, a highly recommended book that provides a great intro for any serious student of the Middle Ages.
 Jones' colloquial style can put off some readers July 12, 2006
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
Famous for lampooning the schoolboy view of the medieval world in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Terry Jones has a real passion for and detailed knowledge of the Middle Ages. In 'Terry Jones' Medieval Lives' his mission is to rescue the Middle Ages from moth-eaten cliches and well-worn platitudes. Behind the stereotypes of 'damsels in distress' and 'knights in shining armor', of rich men in their castles and the poor man at their gates, there are wonderfully human stories that bring the period to life.
Jones starts with a medieval archetype - the Knight, Peasant, Damsel and Monk, Outlaw, King, Merchant and Physician - and in the course of unraveling their role and function will meet a host of colorful real-life characters, recreating their world by visiting key locations. Medieval Lives is full of stories of medieval life, presenting the era in its full glory (or ignominy).
This book reads very much like a series of notes, or even script, of Jones' comments during the actual series. Not having seen the series (it's not available on DVD yet, but I intend to rectify that when it does come out), I cannot say for sure. Regardless, there is some informational content here, though it's not really of the hard and fast scholarly variety. Jones is more a scholarly wit than witty scholar. For anyone who has seen Crusades, however, one knows that Jones loves the medieval period, and wants to share his joy and sense of fun with that period. Few hard and fast scholarly lectures exude "fun". So, this book is dedicated to dispelling those myths and misconceptions we have on the middle ages: the "chivalrous" knight, the damsel in "distress", "Good" King Richard the Lionheart, etc., as well as getting us in the know on other curiosities and trivia of the period. If you want dry, scholarly input, read something else.
Medieval Lives March 22, 2006
An enjoyable read with a lot of facts not given in high school history. Mr. Jones is a noted "Middle Ages" scholar and his writing is easy to follow and insightful. He shattered a lot of my preconceived notions. I find the Medieval times fascinating, this adds to my enjoyment.
Brilliant except for unwanted historical judgements March 18, 2006
0 out of 4 found this review helpful
I loved this series with its excellent combination of history and humor. I thought it was absolutely brilliant how they took those boring medieval illuminations and animated them. Medieval cartoons! The only bad part is that Terry Jones cant keep himself from making historical judgements about people who lived a thousand years ago in a totally different time period. Ive always thought it arrogant for modern historians to compare medieval people and society with modern morals and civilization. How dare he trash Richard the Lionheart especially when leaving out Richards greatest feats in the Holy Land!
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