The Time Traveler's Guide to Elizabethan England

Presenting delightfully constructed vignettes, rich in detail, Mortimer (A Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England) comes as close to transporting readers to another time and place as is possible without an actual time machine—significantly aided by his use of the present tense (e.g., "…people mix Spanish sleeves with French gowns and Dutch cloaks"). This is a meticulously researched, comprehensive journey through Elizabeth I's reign, illuminating the ins and outs of everything from food and clothing to proper forms of address and the varieties of script used in writing, all covered within 12 thematic chapters. Mortimer includes information not generally known among most readers or misconstrued in popular culture. For example, unlike under Henry VIII, from 1547 to 1563 the practice of witchcraft was not against the law. The writing is succinct yet all encompassing, incorporating contemporary statistics, quotations, and even authentic Elizabethan dialog to illustrate the complexity and intrigue inherent in the era.