Listmania!
Mediaeval Studies - The Best Books I've Found...
The Riverside Chaucer, 3rd Ed.The Riverside Chaucer, 3rd Ed. by Geoffrey Chaucer
Buy used from: £35.30
Everyone should read Chaucer's masterpiece - it's vivid mediaeval literature at its best - and funny too! Read it aloud to get the most fun from the text. Penguin do a nice modern English edition.
A History of Illuminated ManuscriptsA History of Illuminated Manuscripts by Christopher De Hamel
Buy new: £14.37 / Used from: £10.00
A really beautiful book - big and lovely with fantastic colour plates throughout and interesting text. A great book to start manuscript studies.
The Hundred Years War: England and France at War C.1300-c.1450 (Cambridge Medieval Textbooks)The Hundred Years War: England and France at War C.1300-c.1450 (Cambridge Medieval Textbooks) by Christopher Allmand
Buy new: £16.14 / Used from: £12.96
C.T. Allmand's introduction to the Hundred Years War is fast becoming a classic. A good and pretty short introduction to a fascinating but complex conflict.
Chronicles (Penguin Classics)Chronicles (Penguin Classics) by Jean Froissart
Buy new: £7.25 / Used from: £4.99
A 'Must-have' chronicle in translation - Brereton's edition has been in print since the 1970s. It has a useful if a little dated introduction. Read and enjoy!
Medieval Heresy: Popular Movements from the Gregorian Reform to the ReformationMedieval Heresy: Popular Movements from the Gregorian Reform to the Reformation by Michael Lambert
Buy new: £20.74 / Used from: £41.56
Another essential for the mediaevalist's bookshelf, this is a really excellent book giving the reader a critical overview of the heresies of mediaeval Europe. Particularly strong on Lollardy.
CastleCastle by Marc Morris
Buy used from: £6.72
Morris is the first no-nonsense TV historian I've come across. His 'Castle' series on Channel 4 has been fascinating and this book will be a brilliant intro to someone new to mediaeval history.
Medieval: Total War (PC CD)Medieval: Total War (PC CD)
Buy used from: £0.99
Fantastic fun! Recreate the carnage of Crecy and Poitiers in your own home!!
Satyre of the Thrie EstaitisSatyre of the Thrie Estaitis by Sir David Lindsay
Buy new: £5.39 / Used from: £0.01
A bit obscure perhaps, and not truthfully mediaeval (whatever that means) but this pre-Reformation play written for James V of Scotland is a terrific read.
A Knight's Tale [VHS] [2001]A Knight's Tale [VHS] [2001]
Buy used from: £0.01
As far from TV historians as you can get - and a joy as a result, I reckon this is the best film portratyal of the middle ages around. Paul Bettany steals the show as 'Geoff Chaucer'.Buy it!!
The Return of John MacNabThe Return of John MacNab by Andrew Greig
Buy new: £5.48 / Used from: £1.42
This list started off as a list of mediaeval studies texts, but I realised that no list of fantastic stuff could be complete without my favourite novel. An absolute joy. Read it!
About A Boy [VHS] [2002]About A Boy [VHS] [2002]
Buy used from: £0.01
The trailers for this film are dreadful, but the movie itself is brilliant! One of my favourites - and Hugh Grant's best film. Thank God he seems to be done with those floppy hair chick films!
About A BoyAbout A Boy by Badly Drawn Boy
Buy new: £4.98 / Used from: £0.08
A CD I wouldn't be without, I really love this one. It provides an amazing soundtrack to the film, but is lovely all on its own as an album of poetic proportions. Love it.,A CD I wouldn't be without.
Pilgrims in the Rough: St. Andrews Beyond the 19th Hole (Luath Guides)Pilgrims in the Rough: St. Andrews Beyond the 19th Hole (Luath Guides) by Michael Tobert
Buy new: £7.19 / Used from: £0.92
I love St Andrews after spending four years at university here. This book will help me remember the spirit of the place. A must have for all lovers of Scotland's East Coast.
Chronicles of the Revolution, 1397-1400: Reign of Richard II (Manchester Medieval Studies)Chronicles of the Revolution, 1397-1400: Reign of Richard II (Manchester Medieval Studies) by Chris Given-Wilson
Buy used from: £76.00
Hard to find but unsurpassed collection of the chronicle sources regarding the deposition of Richard II and the accession of Henry IV. Really useful and engaging. Good intro too.
Ferris Bueller's Day Off [1987] [DVD]Ferris Bueller's Day Off [1987] [DVD]
Buy new: £2.98 / Used from: £2.47
One of the best 80's movies around - A fantastic student flick!
Real Genius [DVD] [1985]Real Genius [DVD] [1985]
Buy new: £4.98 / Used from: £3.47
Another film I reckon is one of the best - An early and arguably unbeaten performance by Val Kilmer in one of the coolest comedies ever. If you haven't seen it - Why not??