Books by Frances Gies

This book is a fully illustrated edition of the classic and popular books of history and anthropology by Frances and Joseph Gies--LIFE IN A MEDIEVAL CASTLE, LIFE IN A MEDIEVAL CITY and LIFE IN A MEDIEVAL VILLAGE. Readers are transported back into the fascinating world of medieval life discovering everything from castle-storming techniques to villagers' hair styles.

Gies refutes some of the myths surrounding the legend of Joan of Arc, examining closely her character, personality, and historical role and revealing her to be a sophisticated--not bizarre or stunning--woman of her time.

"A carefully researched, concise, readable, and entertaining account of an institution that remains a part of the Western imagination."--Los Angeles Times

A lively, detailed picture of village life in the Middle Ages by the authors of Life in a Medieval CityandLife in a Medieval Castle. "A good general introduction to the history of this period."--Los Angeles Times

Pieced together from extracts of remarkably complete original letters and records, here is a fascinating story of a richly varied medieval English family, from the celebrated authors of LIFE IN A MEDIEVAL CASTLE.

The Paston family of Norfolk, England, has long been known to medieval scholars for its large collection of personal correspondence, which has survived five centuries. Revealing a wealth of information about manners, morals, lifestyle, and attitudes of the late Middle Ages, the letters also tell the story of three generations of the fifteenth-century Paston family that treads like a historical novel full of memorable characters: Margaret Paston, the indomitable wife and mother who fought the familys battles; her husband, John Paston I, tough, hardheaded, and thrice confined to Fleet Prison but never yielding to his enemies; daughter Margery, who scandalized family and friends by falling in love with the Paston bailiff, Richard Calle; lighthearted, chivalric Sir John; and cheerful, sensible John III, who against all odds succeeded in marrying for love. A Medieval Family traces the Pastons history from 1420, through the stormy Wars of the Roses, to the early 1500s. The family's story, extracted from their letters and papers and told largely in their own words, shows a side of history rarely revealed: the lives and fortunes not of kings and queens but of ordinary middle-class people with problems, tragedies, and moments of happiness.

Correcting the omissions of traditional history, this is "a reliable survey of the real and varied roles played by women in the medieval period. . . . Highly recommended."--Choice