Manners, Customs, and Dress During the Middle Ages and During the Renaissance

by Paul LaCroix

A cultural history of the Middle Ages amd Renaissance Period, focussing on various aspects of public and private everyday life of society, such as hunting, games, guilds, costumes and many more.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Medieval, Reference, Historical, Medieval History, Classics

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1877

About the author

Paul Lacroix (April 27, 1806 – October 16, 1884) was a French author and journalist. He is known best by his pseudonym P.L. Jacob, bibliophile, or Le Bibliophile Jacob, suggested by his great interest in libraries and books generally.

Lacroix was born in Paris, the son of a novelist. He was a prolific and varied writer, composing more than twenty historical romances as well as a variety of serious historical works, including histories of Napoleon III and of the Czar Nicholas I of Russia.

He was the joint author with Ferdinand Séré of a five-volume work, Le moyen âge et la renaissance (1847), a profusely illustrated standard work on the manners, customs and dress of the Renaissance. He also wrote many monographs on phases of the history of culture, including Manners, Custom and Dress During the Middle Ages and During the Renaissance Period. Someone using the name Pierre Dufour published an exhaustive six-volume Histoire de la prostitution (1851–1854), which has always been attributed to Lacroix. His works concerning bibliography were also numerous, as was his periodical Revue universelle des arts, which he initiated in 1855. In 1855 he was appointed librarian of the Arsenal Library, Paris.

Reviews

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 3 out of 5]

An encompassing background of the Middle Ages and Renaissance period is presented in this work. It cover both the elite and the peasants looking at among other things customs, living and work conditions, food, dress, and religion. It gives a good overview and is an interesting addition to the library of anyone interested in the history of Europe during these periods.

[Noka · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. It's one of those books that you can put down and pick up as you wish, and always learn something new. The book covers a wide range of topics from divorce law to banquet menus. By the end of the book, I felt as though I had a complete understanding of the time and it's setting.

[Kilian Metcalf · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was too strapped for cash to buy a hard copy. Unfortunately Kindle doesn't show any of the illustrations that would make this book invaluable to an SCA member. Still, filled with good background information. You get what you pay for, and this book was free.

[Heather · Rating 1 out of 5]

The sections on Jewish and Romani people were incredibly fucking racist. There are better books out there.

[Danelle]

This is a good introduction to customs and dress, despite its age. I would recommend looking at some of the newer works in this area, as many are more detailed.

[Tech Nossomy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Expansive and well-written, this book provides a wealth of information on life in the Middle Ages by both the working class and the bourgeoisie. Even though the subject matter is largely France-centric, it is often brought into a more Europe-broad context as well as where applicable historical context, ie Roman / Egyptian / etc.

The many anecdotes are another reason the book is highly readable. Though first published in 1877, the information presented still largely holds up and brings to the fore the message that society back then was, as it is now, dependent on societal organisation, such as guilds, money exchange, taxation, and trade agreements. Writing style is matter of factly.

Available on Project Gutenberg.

[Mario Sergio · Rating 3 out of 5]

É interessante observar e verificar os costumes desta época da história e sobre o qual as pessoas tem poucas e distorcidas impressões.

São abordadas questões sobre as condições das pessoas, costumes, privilégios, direitos, a vida privada nos castelos, comidas, caça e jogos, comércio, dinheiro e finanças e muitos mais coisas sobre povos tais como ciganos e judeus.

O que peca é a formatação. As ilustrações estão indicadas, mas não estão nessa versão razão pela qual eu dei apenas 3 estrelas.

Mas vale a pena para quem desejar se informar sobre esses e outros aspectos da vida na idade média.

[Alan Lampe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Paul covers many aspects of medieval life. You really get a better understanding of how people lived back then. There isn't a bibliography at the end, or an index, or even a notes section. Which is slightly confusing because at the bottom of some pages are letters, ranging from A to 4A. I couldn't find anything that indicates what those letters are for. Still, if you are an author and want to start learning about the Medieval Life during the Middle Ages, this is a wonderful resource.

[Doris Raines · Rating 4 out of 5]

NICE BOOK.

[Annette McIntyre · Rating 3 out of 5]

Could be useful

Lots of descriptions are given for clothing from the time periods of the title. However, there are no pictures, even though the text refers to many illustrations.

[Tracy Shea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book on the intricacies of my favorite historical time period.

[Lindsay · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a painful book to read, but finally it is done.

[Jorvon Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a little biased in favor of Christianity, but otherwise it contains a lot of information about the European Middle Ages.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absent data from most of the leader's soundbites past, present, and more than probably the future.

[Deborah Pommer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook edition while at work.

[Velvetink]

kindle

[Chic]

Good review, worth the read.