John D. Clare

Although I found Fourteenth-Century Towns a little darker than some portrayals of the fourteenth century that I've read, I appreciated seeing the time period through the lens of a medieval town. Rather than focusing on lords and ladies, knights and castles, Clare elaborates on merchants and trade, city walls and baths, and the impact of plague and war and religion on towns and townsfolk across Europe. The section at the end of the book detailing primary sources and the role of the historian show more in reconstructing the fourteenth century is especially interesting. show less

This is a traditional telling of the voyages of Columbus, but its uniqueness is the photographs which are recreations of the activities on the ships. Many of these pictures go into great detail. For example on page 25 there is a picture of a 1500 era plumb line with an explanation in the caption. On another page there is an explanation of a quadrant. On another page there is a picture of sailors repairing the ships caulking. On page 20 and 21 there is a fantastic photo of what appear to be show more recreations of the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria sailing off from Spain.

The incredible photographs are what make this book unique. There is an interesting tidbit that gives you insight into the character of Columbus. Many of the men were growing weary after being on the ocean for over a month. To keep the crew intrigued Columbus reminded the crew of the prize the king and queen offered to the first man to spot land. At 2 a.m. Oct. 12 a Rodrigo de Triana spotted land. Columbus promised this man the prize, but would later recant and take the prize himself.

For this book I think it would be good for children in my class to zoom in on some of the instruments and tools used about Columbus’ ships. I would have the students build their own quadrants which can be made very easily with a string, cardboard and a metal nut. The quadrant could be used in conjunction with a math lesson about angles. Another activity would be to learn about maps – how they are used and some of the common characteristics of maps. show less

Like the Mongols who rode out of the eastern steppe, the Vikings descended upon an unprepared Europe in the Middle Ages, terrorizing the populace of invaded countries and changing the course of European History. While they were considered ruthless barbarians by the rest of Europe, it was a Viking who first walked on the shore of the New World and their home life was democratic and pastoral. When the winter subsided, however, it was time to load up the ships and ravage the weak princes of the show more continent. This book shows how the Vikings lived, what they looked like and how they rose from a rag-tag band to establishing their own kingdoms in the family of European states. show less

More like an adolescent's study on armor. The best thing about the book, and the only reason it gets a 4 star, is the many photographs of historically accurate reproduction armor being worn. As someone who study and collects armor I enjoyed the illustrations.