Reviews

On first reading this book has the potential to disappoint; the sources see little critical historical analysis and the heavy use of short subsections and lists breaks the flow of argument. Then revelation strikes. In creating a structure for the book, Zadoks has clearly borrowed from the medieval sources on which it is based: individual itemised entries, verbatim borrowings from earlier authorities without much commentary - this is the kind of arrangment and treatment of material that is encounteredin medieval treatises, encyclopaedia and compendia. Once identified, this book can be appreciated on an altogether different level. And just as one will find of interest in the originals. So there is much to discover in this clever little book for those interested in medieval agriculture. -- Neil Christie Medieval Arc haeology