Making a Living in the Middle Ages: The People of Britain 850-1520

Christopher Dyer's thorough study of social and economic life in Britain in the high and late middle ages is fascinating. The details are remarkable showing a thriving, bustling commercial network that criss-crossed the island - not at all what one would expect of Europe in the middle ages. All facets of society are examined here - peasants, merchants, craftsmen and aristocrats of all levels - close attention is also played to the roles women played in the medieval economy, their social and economic position was striking. Far from the droll, insulated and simple life that typically comes to mind when one thinks of medieval Europe, Dyer's treatise shows quite the opposite - a bustling and growing economy that was financially diverse and tied to the rest of Europe and the wider world. Utilizing an abundance of primary sources from throughout Britain, a clear picture of the daily economic life of England is provided, with solid analysis of the role economics played in the larger social and political changes that took place between 800 and 1500. It is not light reading, however - Dyer is writing for a more academic audience. Some familiarity with Medieval (or better still, British) history is assumed, as is passing familarity with English currency. (For example, pence are denoted ("d"); 12 pence to the shilling ('s"), 20 shilling to the pound.) For historians, economists (or better still, economic historians) this is invaluable and fascinating - recommended.

Christopher Dyer presents a general economic history of England during the Middle Ages. He uses primary sources to support his claims and addresses a number of issues that this broad topic encompasses. His language is accessible to a wide audience, yet contains elements that require some scholarly background in order to fully appreciate the impact of the information that he presents. The main problems with Making a Living in the Middle Ages revolve around the inconsistency between Dyer's introduction and the majority of his book. This book was written very recently so one could assume that the author would take into consideration some of the most recent theories on the matter. While it is possible that this is the case, Dyer does not make specific reference to any such sources. Overall, the text is well written. Syntax and word choice make it accessible. His transitions were lacking, which would make it difficult to read if the reader lacked background knowledge. The vocabulary in the book was not at all difficult, and the author defines terms on initial and subsequent usages. When he fails to provide clear definitions, his context clues make his word choice accessible, providing a general impression of the meaning of the terminology. The book to me was appropriate with occasional oversimplification. The nature of the oversimplification was a lack of depth, but he has chose to cover an extremely broad topic, which I do not think should be approached in one book. The book deals with the economic history of England from 850 C.E. -1520 C.E. The author has a well-written introduction and clearly states the importance of the subject and his reasons for approaching it. I would not go so far as to say he fully addressed those reasons in his book. One reason he presents for doing an economic history is to gain insight into the daily lives of the people during this time period. I did not get a feel for this upon reading the text. Instead, I saw broader claims. These claims were well supported through the use of primary sources, both written and archeological. Dyer explains a lot about his reasoning for his choice of topic, and it is very convincing. However, he fails to live up to his superb introduction. The material addressed in the book is by no means unimportant. On the contrary, it is well constructed and very important in the overall canon of English history. However, I think that the introduction implied a different treatment of the subject than what I found in the body of the text. Dyer breaks up his book into chronological sections, and within those sections he addresses various topics, some dealing with class, other with important events that effected the economy. This construction makes sense in regard to the topic. Other organizations might allow for more detail, but the scope of the topic does not allow for such a lengthy treatment, at least not to be contained in one book. The length of the book is already on

This is a splendidly readable and highly informative book. Dyer takes us from Anglo-Saxon England, through the Normal Conquest, the long medieval surge then the calamitous C14th (as Barbara Tuchman memorably called it) and ending in early Tudor England. We are guided with erudition and ease through the choices the various levels of society faced, the rich texture of life and the ebb and flow of social change. Carefully evidence based, and willing to admit uncertainty, Dyer nevertheless informs with a telling mixture of general trends and revealing examples. I was struck, for example, how the owners of lordly (and other) estates faced similar types of management choices as modern firms, whether to engage in direct command-and-control (farm oneself), franchise (lease), donate (grant) or sell. The balance of choices shifted back and forth, as circumstances changed. This is an excellent book I would heartily recommend to anyone interested in economic and social change in the long run and medieval history in particular.