The book was compelling enough to get through, but I think that was primarily because of my lack of background knowledge on the subject. I wish it had been more narrative in its read through. Not robust enough to be a reference, but not edited enough to be literary non-fiction.

I always love my books on social history and everyday life, and this was no exception. I would say, though that I found this a little more heavy-going that the author’s previous title Living in Medieval England. It might have been because I was reading the ARC on my Kindle and the format meant there was no clear division between chapters and subjects.

Still, the shortish chapters will make the book easier to digest in the hardcover or eBook format and easy to revisit when you want information on a certain subject. Since this is focused on London specifically, rather than the entire county there does tend to be a lot of crossovers in terms of places, dates and events. I recall a lot of accounts of fights, assaults, accidents and misdemeanours by Medieval Londoners across several chapters. Likely because that is what the records show a lot of.

Some of the records referring to Londoners being fined for running a black-market racket in overpriced second-hand footwear reminded me of material we looked at in my MA days. Nothing changes. Scam artists and people trying to make a fast buck out of dodgy goods were a problem even in the 14th century. Del Boy was alive and well in Medieval England, and I think this is something people will enjoy reading about.
The list of common (and not so common) names in 14th century London at the end was an interesting addition.

Thanks to Pen and Sword for approving my request for this title via Netgalley. This did not influence my opinions which are entirely my own.

Part of the problem I had with this book was the e book itself was so rough, there was no chapters, no notes, no delineation of any kind. Every part of the book flowed together and made it very hard to read. However, it seemed to me that it was just a long compendium of people who lived in London and either what they did for a living or how they died. There didn’t seem to be a lot of description of the places and the city itself. More maps (any maps) would have been appreciated. Also, the author seemed to repeat herself, there were several people with similar names and fates discussed throughout. In general, poorly organized.

Official grade: 3.5/5. London, A Fourteenth-Century City and its People is a book about what its title suggests: 14th century London. While it is clear that the book has been carefully researched and put together in terms of the details and topics covered, the book offers little narrative structure or commentary around its many details and observations, resulting in a rather taxing read that is more like a research paper than a book. I also found the early modern English terms and names difficult to read, which should not be a huge surprise since English was quite different 900 years ago. I would have appreciated additional clarification on pronunciation or even a full conversion to modern English, as I doubt most readers are scholars of the period. Topics covered in the book include criminal justice, housing, and class structure as they existed in London at that time. The context of the period is novel and surely helpful for true historians, but this book is not one I can recommend to the layperson or even general history buff without a particular interest in either this period or London's history.

London was one of the largest cities in the world at the start of the fourteenth century and the lives of people were complex yet beset with the same issues as now. Here the author has used records to look at the lives of the people of this metropolis, what were the main issues and how their day to day existence happened. There are some wonderful tales here and some incredible insights in archaic law - how inanimate objects could be 'fined' for causing death. The research is fantastic and writing style incredibly accessible.

*May thanks to Kathryn Warner, Pen&Sword, and NetGalley for arc in exchange for my honest review.*
I appreciated the amount of research done by the author regarding life of mainly ordinary Londoners which provides a panorama of problems in the 14th century London. It is an incerdible privilege for a historian to be able to have access to sources over 600 years old and then to present the findings to contemporary fans of the Middle Ages.

Another informative and compelling history book by Pen&Sword. It made me learn something new and I appreciated the style of writing and the style of writing.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This book was an interesting read on London in the 1300s. It’s interesting to read about what people believed back then and took as fact. As to what people took as fact back then can be said the same in today’s society. People believe what they want to believe.
It wasn’t good to get sick back then either since getting sick could be fatal; even breaking a bone could mean death. It shows how far as a society we’ve come from what we believe to advances in medicine. I also found it interesting that hospitals back then weren’t what we know them as today.

The city of London has been around for over two millennia, and with each passing century, it changes ever so slightly. From the Roman Londinium to medieval London, we see the city grow from a settlement of between 30,000 to 60,000 people to a bustling town of around 80,000 to 100,000 people. With growth comes changes to the city that would become the capital of England, and one of the most significant periods of transformation for the capital was during the fourteenth century. What was life like in fourteenth-century London for the average citizen of this sprawling city? Kathryn Warner attempts to answer this question in her latest nonfiction book, “London, A Fourteenth-Century City and its People.”

I want to thank Pen and Sword Books and NetGalley for sending me a copy of this book. I am always fascinated by learning about how people from different centuries lived their everyday lives, so when I heard about this title, it piqued my interest.

London was an international melting pot for Europe, so Warner used many stories to show the city's diversity. To narrow down the information used in this particular book, Warner explains to her audience that she would only use tales from the reigns of Edward I, Edward II, and Edward III. This book is broken down into bite-sized chapters exploring different aspects of London life, from government and religion to medical, housing, and marriage. This may sound like your average time traveler guidebook, so those of us living in the 21st century can understand the fourteenth century, but Warner gives this genre a bit of a twist.

Instead of focusing on the different aspects and what was considered normal for citizens to eat or wear, Warner looks at unique cases that correspond with the elements that defined fourteenth-century London. They give great insights into how deadly the time was and how the average London citizens dealt with the legal restrictions of everyday life. Every aspect of fourteenth-century life had consequences for those who broke the rules, from charging too much for a loaf of bread or a mug of ale to stealing clothes or building violations. We also get great insight into how women and children were treated, the darker aspects of life, and how they were approached.

The one issue I had with this book was that it showed the cases that were the exceptions to the rules instead of showing what the standards were. Although I am glad Warner included the information she did, like her glossary, nicknames, and the introduction of surnames, I did want more facts to make this book feel complete. I wanted to know what the typical fashion was like for Londoners and what they ate during a normal day. What did a typical day look like for someone who lived in London during the fourteenth century?

“London, A Fourteenth-Century City, and its People” by Kathryn Warner is a well-researched and captivating look into London’s past for those who love learning new facts about medieval Europe. If you like learning new factoids about medieval London, you will find this book rather entertaining.

An intriguing paw through historical records to uncover the details of the lives of every day people (or at least those whose lives were recorded in some way) in fourteenth century London. Unfortunately, there is little curation of these facts save for a large grain chapter groupings such as "Houses," "Roads," and "Privies" and so it reads like a giant collection of piddly facts that are not connected by any analysis or summation. I found it tedious and I wanted to love it.

Kathryn Warner, London, A Fourteenth-Century City and its People, Pen & Sword, Pen & Sword History, June 2022.

Thank you, NetGalley and Pen & Sword for this uncorrected proof in exchange for an honest review.

Kathryn Warner has taken a fascinating topic and provided a wealth of information in her book of numerous short chapters. A copious amount of material augurs well for the value of the completed manuscript. There is a glossary, a brief introduction which includes a comparison with the present-day population, sources used, and descriptions of the appendices. There are informative end notes for this and each chapter. Graphics include an 1870 City of London Ward Map and various other visual explanatory material, historical and contemporary. Appendices provide information on fourteenth century given names/nicknames; London place names; mayors of London and abbreviations. There is a bibliography.

The glossary is particularly useful. Not only does it help clarify the meanings of the words to be encountered in the book, but it is a historical document as at times dates of early usage accompany explanations. There are sections on money, and the relevant kings of England are named. Chapters are short and provide a detailed account of fourteenth century population, health, other medical matters, foreign residents, wards, curfew, sanitation, privies, privacy, houses, hostels, hospitals, roads, trading, food, drink, drunkenness, misadventure, murder, theft, assault, disturbance, punishment, abjurers, defence, fire, children, women, families, names, adultery, belongings, fun, weather, mayors, sheriffs, misteries [sic], apprentices, religion, tower, bridge, rivers, pestilence.

Information is key to the enjoyment of this book. It lacks the charm of publications that employ language and a style that make the reader feel part of the developing scene, thus drawing them into, in this instance, fourteenth century London. For readers who want a source of knowledge about fourteenth century London that is accessible, full of information with supporting citations, this is a valuable contribution to that endeavour.

A very fascinating and insightful non fiction read. Pen Sword Books is fast becoming a favourite publisher of mine for brilliant non fiction reads

When I first opened this book, I gasped.

Could this possibly be the next book in the (all too short) genre of "feasts on obscure, surprising, and wonderful factoids calculated to please the antiquary"? Like Tuchman's "The Distant Mirror" or Fraser's "The Weaker Vessel"? Or Braudel's "The Mediterranean in the Age of Philip II"? Or Swiderkowna's "Hellenika"? (The last, as yet, unavailable in English)? Or... (for the true antiquaries among us) Pausanias? As in.. "the next book I will spend writhing with pleasure while reading"?

"William, rector of the church of Margarete of Lotheburi, on the boundary of Bradstrete and Colamanestrete wards evinced an insatiable curiosity about a disease called Le Lou."

I mean, how wrong can you go with this kind of opening?

Well, it turns out, you can.

How?

I am trying to understand this myself.

How do they -- Tuchman, Fraser, Braudel, Swiderkowna -- make their lists of factoids interesting while Kathryn Warner manages to come across as... dullingly pedantic? Are her lists too long? Too many facts, not enough analysis? Not enough structure? Not enough, as the French say, pwent? (with a nasal "ew")

Warner has read and digested a great deal of information, how we wish she had organized it into a compelling narrative. Or her editor helped her do it. I mean, how long can you go on listing all the rectors of all the churches who had had a weird predilection, whether they were of Italian or French extraction?

To make a compelling book, you must have a compelling narrative. Somehow. I don't know how. I can't write a book, much less edit it. But I know when an egg stinks. This one tastes like cardboard. It shouldn't. Warner's tremendous scholarship deserves better.

I mean, seriously. No one could accuse Peter Ackroyd of making much sense with his plot in "Clerkenwell Tales" but the chapter in which the heroes visit an eatery and are offered grub in Anglo-Norman-Saxon; or in which minstrels put on a passion play -- are all incredibly exciting. By comparison, this book just puts you to sleep.

It's not a bad book. It just doesn't work.

I will give it a three because I don't think it is a bad book. It isn't. But it isn't a compelling read. (As in, "Wake up, dude, wake up, you've got to read this thing now!")

Which is a pity. With her scholarship and talent, Warner could have given us a better book. Warner needs a good literary editor. We all do. We want to read her wonderful book **with pleasure**.

Also, the pdf format I received was extraordinarily difficult to navigate inside Adobe Digital Editions and the kindle version I received did not have a navigable table of contents and sported quite a few places with odd-ball characters (black rhomboids with question marks etc.) Editor! Wake up!

From the way they talk, to the things they sued over an even the wages people got it seems like everything was so different in the 14th century in London. There were lawsuits over people blocking the light into their homes and even contracts that state it is unlawful to do so people were hung for stealing clothing and murdered for defending a woman. I love historical nonfiction in this book on London and the people in the 14th century was so interesting. I just know I will read it again and can’t wait to share it with my husband. The summary I gave isn’t it all in a nutshell there is much much more and all compelling it will make you shake your head in disbelief. What more can I say this book is very interesting and I highly recommend it to any history fan especially if like me you love British history. I was given this book by Net Gally but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any errors as I am blind and dictate my review but all opinions are definitely my own.