A Travel Guide to the Middle Ages

A stunning book … weird and wonderful and quietly hilarious, but the enormous fun of this book would not be possible without solid graft — Bale’s dogged research and his diligent crafting of perfect prose – Gerard deGroot * The Times *Superb … In his remarkable and expertly executed prose, Bale demonstrates his skill as a historian in his handling of the expansive source material available … The micro personal experiences told against the backdrop of macro topography is a Herculean task and one that is undertaken with immense passion and knowledge. A Travel Guide to the Middle Ages is a stunning example of the point where true scholarship meets popular history – Helen Carr * Engelsberg Ideas *An enthralling account of medieval travellers … [Bale’s] enthusiasm is infectious … this is a work of serious scholarship – Rosemary Goring * Scottish Herald *Ambitious, sweeping across continents with a keen eye for detail … moves fluidly between travelogue and scholarly text, imaginative literature and nonfiction … In a way that imaginative fiction arguably cannot, A Travel Guide to the Middle Ages brings us close to the past it experiences and allows us to be transformed in the process – Imogen Marchant * TLS *Serious scholarship and a sightseer’s unbridled enthusiasm make for fascinating armchair time travel * Observer *A joyful, erudite book, and a global Middle Ages for our times. Journeying from a monastery in Wiltshire to Ethiopia, India and China, Anthony Bale reinvents the period through its intrepid travellers, and in the process redefines the period – Jerry Brotton, author of A History of the World in 12 MapsIntrepid, entertaining, and unfailingly curious, he has now travelled far and wide in their company; balancing sympathy with scepticism, he marvellously reconfigures the contours of our forebears’ knowledge – Marina WarnerRich and wonderful. This is the world as you have never seen it before - and as it will never be seen again. And it’s more surprising, extraordinary and bizarre than anything you can possibly imagine – Ian Mortimer, author of The Time-Traveller’s Guide to Medieval EnglandA fascinating read … a new fact to be discovered on every page, written with enthusiasm and wisdom – Reverend Kate BottleyMasterful, panoramic, beautifully written and vividly imagined, A Travel Guide to the Middle Ages is a book to be savoured – Dr Helen Castor, author of Blood and Roses and She-Wolves

Anthony Bale is Professor of Medieval Studies at Birkbeck, University of London and a former President of the New Chaucer Society. His previous books include Margery Kempe- A Mixed Life (Reaktion Books). He has edited and translated several medieval texts, including The Book of Marvels & Travels by John Mandeville. He was awarded the Philip Leverhulme Prize (2011) and holds a Leverhulme Major Research Fellowship (2023-26).