Mortimer gives us statistics on how many books were being published and the results are startling. People were reading-even women-and while much of what was available to them were religious tracts, there began to be something more as the period (1550-1600) wore on. On the pro side, world-wide exploration was in its infancy, and it must have been thrilling to discover new products coming in from overseas, changing the way people thought about their own culture. Cleanliness and sanitation were two of the most off-putting descriptions Mortimer shares, but we also shrink at “medical care” and the somewhat arbitrary nature of punishment and death. By carefully going through all the contingencies of leadership, life, and labor, he shows us that life was difficult at best-the early, and not quite thought-out beginning of city living. We may, for instance, subscribe to the notion that Elizabethan England was a period of the flowering of art and language, and it was…to a point. Mortimer expects us to have pre-conceived notions and to develop questions as we read. His sense of humor and level of detail bridges any gaps in understanding why Elizabethan England may not be a place we would want to live. We all know why Elizabethan England fascinates us and Ian Mortimer is a wonderful guide.
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