This book allows us to explore a popular fantasy. If we could go back in time to the Middle Ages, what would we want to be? A knight in shining armor? A princess in a silken gown? Most people's lives were far less glamorous but just as fascinating. Barbers cut off beards ...and sickly limbs; gong farmers cleaned out latrines ...and sorted through the excrement for dropped buttons or pennies. This fascinating and original guide presents 100 careers, described with historical accuracy and the author's renowned wit! Sidebars expound on intriguing elements of medieval life, including the Bayeux Tapestry, Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, medieval cosmetics, and torture techniques! The art provides the reader with further opportunities to have fun and learn.

Illustrated by: Martha Newbigging