Buy new:
-19% $17.82
FREE delivery Tuesday, May 14 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Ships from: Amazon.com
Sold by: Amazon.com
$17.82 with 19 percent savings
List Price: $21.99

The List Price is the suggested retail price of a new product as provided by a manufacturer, supplier, or seller. Except for books, Amazon will display a List Price if the product was purchased by customers on Amazon or offered by other retailers at or above the List Price in at least the past 90 days. List prices may not necessarily reflect the product's prevailing market price.
Learn more
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery Tuesday, May 14 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Or fastest delivery Friday, May 10. Order within 4 hrs 39 mins
Only 3 left in stock (more on the way).
$$17.82 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$17.82
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon.com
Ships from
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Returns
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Returns
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Payment
Secure transaction
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
$12.48
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
Book is in good condition and may include underlining highlighting and minimal wear. The book can also include "From the library of" labels. May not contain miscellaneous items toys, dvds, etc. . We offer 100% money back guarantee and 24 7 customer service. Free 2-day shipping with Amazon Prime! Book is in good condition and may include underlining highlighting and minimal wear. The book can also include "From the library of" labels. May not contain miscellaneous items toys, dvds, etc. . We offer 100% money back guarantee and 24 7 customer service. Free 2-day shipping with Amazon Prime! See less
FREE delivery May 21 - 28 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Or fastest delivery May 19 - 24
$$17.82 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$17.82
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Amazon book clubs early access
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Explore Amazon Book Clubs
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Barbara Hanawalt
+ Follow
More books from this author
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

The Ties That Bound: Peasant Families in Medieval England First Edition

by Barbara A. Hanawalt (Author)
4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 43 ratings
See all formats and editions
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$17.82","priceAmount":17.82,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"17","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"82","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"zoRFBEIUfUAi%2FMAyhf9N0FSVd4IQUM7W5qgt%2FrFCeF3xDPoB4S7wxatLVKZRhrSI0hs0P4rbhO8a2NrIoYy3QES0cLeMtkpsxwRLeYwzEG80sH0HCoibowREBWudDCBmOYY2zRzuqyY%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$12.48","priceAmount":12.48,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"12","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"48","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"zoRFBEIUfUAi%2FMAyhf9N0FSVd4IQUM7WrGv6XHJFXxVNw3EO63PZ46RhjSkzctN5qwu14l5pla2PMhIefaawoR2H%2B7iZHBwlErnnotIuYDB2LmuMC%2FaOHUZHwrpdV4kLb84fpEcczENT%2BRCm5niuhuzHLPtaocwqsulISjBSVbQIFqVmaYYsdN02dQYWuQDs","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

Barbara A. Hanawalt's richly detailed account offers an intimate view of everyday life in Medieval England that seems at once surprisingly familiar and yet at odds with what many experts have told us. She argues that the biological needs served by the family do not change and that the ways fourteenth- and fifteenth-century peasants coped with such problems as providing for the newborn and the aged, controlling premarital sex, and alleviating the harshness of their material environment in many ways correspond with our twentieth-century solutions.

Using a remarkable array of sources, including over 3,000 coroners' inquests into accidental deaths, Hanawalt emphasizes the continuity of the nuclear family from the middle ages into the modern period by exploring the reasons that families served as the basic unit of society and the economy. Providing such fascinating details as a citation of an incantation against rats, evidence of the hierarchy of bread consumption, and descriptions of the games people played, her study illustrates the flexibility of the family and its capacity to adapt to radical changes in society. She notes that even the terrible population reduction that resulted from the Black Death did not substantially alter the basic nature of the family.
Read more Read less
Previous page
  1. ISBN-10
    0195045645
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0195045642
  3. Edition
    First Edition
  4. Publisher
    Oxford University Press
  5. Publication date
    January 1, 1988
  6. Language
    English
  7. Dimensions
    8.56 x 5.52 x 0.88 inches
  8. Print length
    364 pages
  9. See all details
Next page
Books with Buzz
Books with Buzz
Discover the latest buzz-worthy books, from mysteries and romance to humor and nonfiction. Explore more

Frequently bought together

The Ties That Bound: Peasant Families in Medieval England
$16.92
Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 14
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
Sold by bookgardens and ships from Amazon Fulfillment.
+
The World Turned Upside Down: Radical Ideas During the English Revolution
$13.50
Get it as soon as Monday, May 13
In Stock
Sold by LC HAWAII LLC and ships from Amazon Fulfillment.
+
A History of England, Volume 1: Prehistory to 1714
$108.24
Get it as soon as Wednesday, May 15
Only 3 left in stock - order soon.
Sold by Apex_media🍏 and ships from Amazon Fulfillment.
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Details
Added to Cart
Some of these items ship sooner than the others.
Show details Hide details
Choose items to buy together.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"I've always wanted to step back into medieval society, to time-travel through England. Thanks to Hanawalt, I have!"--William Van Vugt, Calvin College

"Well-written and flows smoothly. Hanawalt uses her sources skillfully to build an intriguing portrait of the daily lives of women and their families in medieval England."--Sylvia McGrath, Stephen F. Austin State University

"[An] excellent presentation of medieval life, especially valuable for a course focussing on social history. Clear and vivid, easily comprehended yet subtly argued. Students find it rewarding and interesting."--James Rosenheim, Texas A & M University

"As stimulating for the questions it asks as for the answers it provides....[It] will serve as a corrective to those accounts that only see differences and not similarities between past and present."--The New York Times Book Review

"A vivid re-creation of the family and community life of English peasants during the later Middle Ages, as well as lively criticism of other historians who have generalized about the subject."--American Historical Review

"Meticulous, scholarly, and highly readable....Founded on voluminous and reliable evidence that is interpreted with grace, humanity, and common sense."--David Nicholas, Speculum

"An important new and timely venture....Hanawalt must be congratulated for taking up the task in such an energetic and lively fashion."--J.A. Raftis, Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies

"A wonderful book....[Hanawalt] brings to her reconstruction of domestic life a wealth of colorful detail....Informed, level-headed, fast-paced, fun to read, and deeply humane."--David Herlihy, Harvard University

"The first comprehensive account of peasant families in late medieval England."--Journal of Social History

"Diligent research...has enabled Hanawalt to speak authoritatively and engagingly about her subject....A significant contribution on its subject."--CHOICE

"This approach and its detail of everyday mediaeval life make the book of interest to a wide variety of reader. Those who are interested in the mediaeval period (or the family) should not miss it."--Open History

Book Description

"A significant contribution on its subject."--Choice

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press; First Edition (January 1, 1988)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 364 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0195045645
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0195045642
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 1400L
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11.1 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.56 x 5.52 x 0.88 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 43 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Barbara Hanawalt

Barbara Hanawalt

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8 out of 5
43 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

W. A. Kuehl
5.0 out of 5 stars Peasant's lives in medieval England described in detail
Reviewed in the United States on October 25, 2013
Verified Purchase
As a reference book for writing a fantasy novel set in a gritty real world, this book fits my needs completely. The author calls upon both written documents and archeological evidence to paint a piecework picture that covers all I could possibly need to paint a diorama in words. One chapter covers the laws of inheritance, another the assignment and working of farm land, yet another covers what would be found on the table at meal times, still another describes how disputes were resolved. One poignant chapter tells the manners of their deaths in a life that has been describes as crude, brutal and short.
12 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Lilybet
5.0 out of 5 stars Another place, another time
Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2020
Verified Purchase
Very good info and makes a nice book to read before bedtime. Gives a good look into another space of time with is joys and miseries.
Book arrived timely and in good condition
Helpful
 Report
Bedecca
5.0 out of 5 stars A very insightful book
Reviewed in the United States on February 20, 2014
Verified Purchase
This is one of my all time favorite books! I love the histoy of this time period and this book seems to bring happenings to light that I would have never guessed went on and the difficulty of living in this time. If you love history you will love this book!
4 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Scott Rutherford
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting take on English peasant life
Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2022
Verified Purchase
I had to read most of this book for a class. It's interesting enough that I'll go back and read the parts that weren't assigned over the summer. My only complaint is that the printing is poor quality. The text is very small (it's a lot like reading a 200-some page pill bottle) and varies noticeably in size. That's hardly the author's fault, though. She has interesting insights into English peasant life in the late Middle Ages that challenge conventional wisdom on the subject. In her challenges to conventional wisdom, the author makes her methods clear and comes to what can only be considered reasonable conclusions. The best historical works take you on a tour of that "foreign country" that is the past while helping you see not only our differences but our similarities. The author succeeds wonderfully on both counts.
Helpful
 Report
Donna Rozon
5.0 out of 5 stars Review of Peasnt Families in Medieval England
Reviewed in the United States on February 15, 2013
Verified Purchase
The book arrived in good shape and I am enjoying reading it. The work heps round out my knowledge of medieval times.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
writingman
5.0 out of 5 stars Well received
Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2016
Verified Purchase
an appreciated gift
Helpful
 Report
Griffon
4.0 out of 5 stars How the Other Three Quarters Lived
Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2013
For the most part histories are of the high and mighty, the top-dogs, and the movers and shakers. This one examines life amongst the lower classes of serfs and freemen. This should not be the first basic medieval history one reads, but it provides depth and breadth to expand a person's understanding of medieval times.

The author makes good use of sources and documents them well. I consider this as a work for those seeking to learn more about the subject than was covered in their general education. It's for budding medievalists or an introduction for those who might choose to go deeper.
5 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Elizabeth C.
5.0 out of 5 stars Great and informative read!
Reviewed in Canada on October 2, 2020
Verified Purchase
Love it, it's so interesting and well written! One of my favourite so far on life in the Middle Ages!
Report
Rufus Meakin
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 23, 2020
Verified Purchase
I read this book at the beginning of the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown and although the 14th Century is 700 years ago, I couldn't help thinking that the 35 years that have elapsed since this book was published represents 5% of the gap since the late Medieval period that is the subject of the book. That's basically the blink of an eye, a realisation that somehow brought the people in this wonderful history to life. Highly recommended.
One person found this helpful
 Report
Alex
5.0 out of 5 stars A very interesting read. I purchased this book for ...
Reviewed in Canada on May 19, 2016
Verified Purchase
A very interesting read. I purchased this book for a university class and read even the parts that we're assigned. I have lent it to friends who were not history majors and they found the book enjoyable as well.
Report
Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars History without being bored
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 16, 2015
Verified Purchase
A very good book that makes the social history of our ancestors an extremely interesting and excellent read. Previous books by other authors seem to believe that all of our peasant ancestors barely made it out alive from the fourteenth century. Barbara Hanawalt says it wasn't quite like that. Yes there were those who barely scratched a living but there were many ordinary peasants who did okay thank you and she backs it up with evidence that is easy to read and follow.
5 people found this helpful
 Report
perry
5.0 out of 5 stars fantastic book - incredible detail
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 13, 2016
Verified Purchase
fantastic book - incredible detail. Not a light read but full on facts and figures.
Book arrived when expected and in excellent condition.
One person found this helpful
 Report