The Time Travellers Guide To Medieval England

Author/historian Ian Mortimer has come up with a winner here.  The concept of this book is imaginative and simple, if the past is another country and they do things differently there, then surely you would need a guidebook. He has a refreshingly humanist approach to history and even when discussing such oddities as medieval medicine (a candle of mutton fat combined with sea holly seeds to stave off toothache for example) he refuses to patronise the ideas of the time.  This book is a treasure trove of wonderfully humourous anecdotes and sympathetic explanation and understanding.  The chapters are divided thematically so you can dip into them at your leisure (perfect for busy but history-loving Mums everywhere).