"August was the month when flies started to become a problem, buzzing round the dung heaps in the corner of every farmyard and hovering over the...
read full description
reviews
Jan 16, 2011
Betsy
rated it: 
I read the month chapters in this book at start of corresponding months in my life. Sometimes I'll read (book) December in (real) August just to remind me of what I would be doing in the cold months 1000 years ago. This is one of the most engaging non-fiction books I've ever read, and all the better for being medieval. Probably the only history book I can read again and again and never get tired of it! I love the little details about everyday life, like what their clothes were made from, wha
More...
11 comments
like
(6 people liked it)
Sep 19, 2009
Starling
rated it: 
I rarely give a book 5 stars but this short book on THE YEAR 1000 was just about a perfect example of its kind. It was short, and for me right now short is a good thing. There was almost no repetition. The authors knew what they wanted to say, how they wanted to organize the information, and they kept to their plan.
In addition it was extremely readable. The book hooked me early on and kept me hooked. I already knew a lot of what they wanted to say, but there was also quite a lot I di More...
In addition it was extremely readable. The book hooked me early on and kept me hooked. I already knew a lot of what they wanted to say, but there was also quite a lot I di More...
0 comments
like
(3 people liked it)
Sep 04, 2010
It is sadly rare for me to browse the library shelf these days. I find out about books from friends or online and then request them from the library. Only occasionally will I graze through the stacks, and I say “graze” because I can’t help thinking that the authors who happen, through accident of alphabet and shelf-space, to be at eye-level are at an advantage that food companies pay for at the supermarket.
The other day, grazing, I spotted The Year 1000: What Life Was Like at the Tur More...
The other day, grazing, I spotted The Year 1000: What Life Was Like at the Tur More...
Apr 20, 2009
Jeffrey
rated it: 
This was a relatively light-weight look at a specific inflection point in the past. I generally like history books that attempt to humanize a time and place, rather than chronicle political achievements. This book does that pretty well - I got a sense of what the food was like, how the villages in England worked then, and the anxiety people felt around things like a toothache (chances where you'd die from most ailments back then.)
However, even more interesting is how this book reflects More...
However, even more interesting is how this book reflects More...
0 comments
like
(2 people liked it)
Jan 21, 2011
Reemawi
rated it:
I liked this book, hence the three stars I gave it. It was easy and smooth to read and put a lot of things into perspective, unlike other history books I've cracked open. This held me from the moment I read the first sentence and it kept me hooked until the very end.
Also, being written just before the second millenium and the Y2K hullabaloo, there is much reference to how we in modern times are much like our predecessors in our view of the magnitude of an approaching new millenium, More...
Also, being written just before the second millenium and the Y2K hullabaloo, there is much reference to how we in modern times are much like our predecessors in our view of the magnitude of an approaching new millenium, More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Oct 24, 2010
Roger
rated it:
A good read. This tells about life in the year 1000, with a bit of drift earlier and later as the authors pull in stories of interesting incidents around that time. They have structured it around a calendar that was made in England around 1000 AD. The calendar was illustrated with line drawings reproduced in this book and they have a chapter for each month of the year.
The economy in England in 1000 AD was driven by the seasons so the different months had specific characteristics. For i More...
The economy in England in 1000 AD was driven by the seasons so the different months had specific characteristics. For i More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Feb 08, 2009
Dana
rated it:
What a delightfully informative little book! I don't know how they crammed so much information into just 200 pages (reminds me of [[ASIN:0140275010 Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World]] and this one doesn't have recipes).
The authors take something called the Julius Work Calendar, a medieval reminder of work and faith with wonderful illustrations at the bottom of each month's page reproduced at the beginning of each chapter of the book and explained in the following More...
The authors take something called the Julius Work Calendar, a medieval reminder of work and faith with wonderful illustrations at the bottom of each month's page reproduced at the beginning of each chapter of the book and explained in the following More...
0 comments
like
(2 people liked it)
Sep 19, 2008
Brent
rated it:
The layout of this book was fantastic, Lacey used the Julian calendar's twelve months to divide life into twelve chapters. It was highly readable and would appeal to the scholar as well as casual reader. One of my favorite parts of the book was his discussion on the break of the first millennium in 1000 AD. There was a great medieval version of the Y2K hysteria that really hit the spot.
0 comments
like
(2 people liked it)
Mar 18, 2011
Scott
rated it:
The Year 1000 (1999) is a tasty nibblet of late Anglo-Saxon history that you can polish off in an afternoon. Lacey's prose is light but still satisfying without being the slightest bit dry. Here is a sampler of some of the interesting tidbits I culled: July was the hungriest month of the year, since by then all last year's grain was eaten and this year's had yet to mature. Anglo-Saxon society was in some ways wonderfully simple, revolving around minuscule villages, spread out all over the countr
More...
2 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Nov 05, 2011
Virginia
rated it:
This was okay. It's organized by month - but not really into any seasonal sort of order. There are a lot of interesting factoids about the year 1000 or thereabouts. The authors are kind of loose in their requirements for "the year 1000" - as though I was writing a book about the year 2000 today and used info from 1900 to describe life at that time. Only 100 years apart, but wildly different daily life.
I think they ran out of known facts about the year 1000 and started More...
I think they ran out of known facts about the year 1000 and started More...
Jun 27, 2008
Derrick
rated it:
If you're a history buff and want a good, quick, humurous read about daily life in Europe during the first millenium...this is the one for you! This book actually helped me pass a standardized test in the state of Massachusetts: I used the premise of this book to answer a huge essay question! :)
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Dec 27, 2010
Jenny
rated it:
This is quite possibly one of the most perfect little non-fiction books I have ever encountered. In addition to the fascinating details of Anglo-Saxon life around the conclusion of the first Christian millenium, it is flawlessly written. I admit that I was ignorant of early British history when I picked up THE YEAR 1000, but equally clueless readers can easily follow Lacey and Danziger's narrative with a basic understanding of important figures and dates. I was surprised to learn how different A
More...
Aug 05, 2011
i was lent "year 1000"by a welshman who knew i was out of books and just needed something to read. having finished the book in 2 days, i found it to be a thoroughly enjoyable, interesting, and educational read. i was refreshed on how the days of the week got their names, and i learned how the agricultural lifestyles of the 1st millenium anglo-saxons were so vitally important to their survival and their thriving. i also found it interesting that there is an older form of roman numera
More...
Nov 20, 2009
Andrea
rated it:
Delightful! History Lite, for those who like to learn a bit through entertainment, although it is specifically about England and the Anglo-Saxons.
I picked this up after it was mentioned in passing by a columnist who wanted to point out just how lousy things were in 1000. And there were a lot of things that made A-S life pretty lousy. Modern medicine and hygiene hadn't been invented yet, nor had any fabric less itchy than wool; Vikings were a constant threat, hard labor or monastic s More...
I picked this up after it was mentioned in passing by a columnist who wanted to point out just how lousy things were in 1000. And there were a lot of things that made A-S life pretty lousy. Modern medicine and hygiene hadn't been invented yet, nor had any fabric less itchy than wool; Vikings were a constant threat, hard labor or monastic s More...
Jul 29, 2011
Cathy
rated it:
The Year 1000 was a very easy read -- I finished it in one day of sitting in airports/on planes on my way back to Pittsburgh from Burbank. It is interesting and entertaining and although it is footnoted it is not at all scholarly. They do mention The Cerne Abbas Giant existing in the 700s when in fact it is thought that it was cut in the 17th century, so I'm not sure how horribly accurate everything is. And they give a bibliography including Anglo-Saxon Food & Drink by Anne Hagen, to which th
More...
Dec 24, 2010
Adam
rated it:
The Year 1000 is a fun book that tries to take you through the life of someone living in the year 1000 England. It's kind of a funny time since it's right before William The Conqueror arrives, so it almost would be more interesting to see an AD 900/1100 comparison. Nevertheless, it really gives you a good sense of what a shitty (though party-filled) life you would have had a millenium ago. Favorite fact: beer was frequently drunk but unfortunately had little alcohol; however, it was so thick
More...
Dec 18, 2011
Ensiform
rated it:
A light history book delving into the world of England circa 1000 AD. The structure of the book is like a calendar, and the authors present twelve chapters based more or less on drawings from the Julius Work Calendar, an interesting document indeed. But the authors are journalists, not academics, and the book suffers hugely from constant cutesy attempts to compare the world of England 1000 to the modern day. Saying Pope Sylvester II was "the Bill Gates of his day" or comparing Engli
More...
Apr 11, 2010
Graham
rated it:
An excellent little book, and one of the most readable history books I've encountered. I finished it in two sittings.
Basically, it's a collection of anecdotes about life in the Anglo-Saxon era, written in the framework of a calendar. There's a little background information on the (familiar to me) political events of the period, but for the most part this is about everyday life.
Topics covered include: medicine, charms and disease; agriculture; materials; food and drink; ps More...
Basically, it's a collection of anecdotes about life in the Anglo-Saxon era, written in the framework of a calendar. There's a little background information on the (familiar to me) political events of the period, but for the most part this is about everyday life.
Topics covered include: medicine, charms and disease; agriculture; materials; food and drink; ps More...
Jan 06, 2009
Melani
rated it:
This book was pretty interesting. We are about to start an academy unit on the middle ages, so I read it as background. The book takes a month by month approach to what life in the middle ages was like. It does surprise you by dashing a few preconcieved notions that you might have had. They did not have sugar or chocolate -- but they were a good deal more civilized than I expected. We went backpacking just after I finished the book, and I was glad that I would not have to spend the rest of
More...
May 31, 2011
Ross
rated it:
Very interesting details about the world of AngloSaxon England around the reign of Alfred the Great and the Norman Invasion. The central focus of the book is a surviving manuscript called the Julius Calendar which is a kind of guide to each of the months of the year. The authors point out that really very little is known about this period, but enough survives to fill a fascinating lttle book.
Because I am reading a series of historical novels by Bernard Cornwell called the Saxon Stories wh More...
Because I am reading a series of historical novels by Bernard Cornwell called the Saxon Stories wh More...
Oct 30, 2010
max
rated it:
Following the themes and progression of the Julian Work Calendar, a medieval illustrated calendar produced by monks, a pair of journalists offer a portrait of life a thousand years ago, based on their survey of leading scholars and scholarship.
Extremely readable, the book covers labor, religion, gender, politics, war, and economy, ending with a little (silly) anglo-centric paean to the exceptional character of the English people and their language.
For folks looking for an int More...
Extremely readable, the book covers labor, religion, gender, politics, war, and economy, ending with a little (silly) anglo-centric paean to the exceptional character of the English people and their language.
For folks looking for an int More...
Aug 13, 2010
Brad
rated it:
This book is a rambling month-by-month description of everyday life for Anglo-Saxons in the year 1000 AD. Great fun, and light reading. Interesting tid-bits: the big Y1K scare, the use of honey as currency, Anglo-Saxon stature (they were *not* short people), legal fees for unwanted breast fondling, medically accurate descriptions of foetuses in the womb, and semi-annual starvation. I'm glad I read this book, if only because it reminded me why returning to a pre-Industrial mode of life might be a
More...
Jun 30, 2009
Eric_W
rated it:
Much of what we know about the first millennium comes from a book written around 1020 called The Julius Work Calendar. It is the earliest surviving example of the English daily routine, "the schedule of the earth, and the life of the spirit." The ink used to put the characters on paper is interesting in itself. It was tapped from oak trees boils, created by wasps that had gnawed at the bark to lay eggs. In self defense, the tree formed a gall that was filled with a clear acid. The ink
More...
Aug 05, 2008
Victory
rated it:
Got this at a book swap. Cannot say enough good things about it! Fabulous. Wow!
I'm a slow non-fiction reader so the going is slow-- it's divided into 14 chapters, an intro, a last chapter and 12 chapters divided by the months. I have already found out some very facinating things.
For example that english didn't have any swear words until much later (well according to the monks who wrote down dictionaries of sorts), that english speakers can thank the Danes (AKA the v More...
I'm a slow non-fiction reader so the going is slow-- it's divided into 14 chapters, an intro, a last chapter and 12 chapters divided by the months. I have already found out some very facinating things.
For example that english didn't have any swear words until much later (well according to the monks who wrote down dictionaries of sorts), that english speakers can thank the Danes (AKA the v More...
Jun 13, 2009
Erica
rated it:
I love nothing better than reading about the daily life of eras past, with a real peek into what folks did with themselves. This one gives glimpses but doesn't dig very deep. In linking each chapter with a month from a work calendar, it tackles twelve different aspects of daily living, each of which could easily be expounded upon to become its own book. It was nicely written and well-researched, but reads much like a primer and I wish I had gotten something more in-depth.
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Sep 25, 2011
Carmen
rated it:
An interesting account of life in England in the year 1000, this story was written by a journalist, not a historian. This means that it is written in layman's terms, and he looks for the part that will catch your attention. A few details would be the example of how a Viking would bathe four or five times a year, but the English would consider once a year once too often. How women were allowed to get divorced. Highly entertaining, a quick short read.
Jan 05, 2009
Bibliophile
rated it:
A delightful look at daily life in the year 1000 in the peaceful and prosperous Kingdom of “Engla-Lond” – if you had to live as a peasant anywhere at that time, England was probably the best place to live at the time. The authors follow a “Work Calendar” and its illustrations and range over a huge variety of subjects including hygiene, menus, the penalties for adultery, and what people’s utensils were made of (predominantly wood.)
Jan 27, 2012
Claire
rated it:
An excellent book for the person that does not what to feel like they are reading a history book, but rather a story book about history. It is a book that can be read countless times. Lacey and Danziger have compiled an excellent novel that reminds us that the populations of the medieval world were not statistics, but real people with hopes, dreams, and a lot of the same problems as the modern man.
Sep 04, 2009
Martha
rated it:
All of Lacey's books have short chapters, great for bringing while you wait for something.
He tells a great story about a trivial bit of English history. The scholarship isn't too thorough, that might get in the way of the story, but it is good enough to get introduced to a subject. Here he disproves quite well that life in 1000 AD wasn't as barbaric as you may think.
Young Adult on up.
He tells a great story about a trivial bit of English history. The scholarship isn't too thorough, that might get in the way of the story, but it is good enough to get introduced to a subject. Here he disproves quite well that life in 1000 AD wasn't as barbaric as you may think.
Young Adult on up.
Apr 16, 2011
Lydia
rated it:
This was a History assignment I had to do, and I honestly thought that I wouldn't like it, because it's non-fiction and I'm not a non-fiction fan. But once I got into it, it was very nice, because it was so interesting and amusing. It had good facts and wasn't boring at all. I recommend it to anyone who's interested in the Middle Ages. It kind of makes you want to live in those days.
