A look at the way people earned their income through out the later dark ages through the medieval period, may seem like a very specialised book, even for those already well versed in British history. However the way to approach the subject is to understand that everyone in the country had to earn a living somehow, especially in days before state benefits, and so an examination of this kind is really a study of everyday people doing what they did for a large percentage of their life, and is therefore a study of the everyday society going about its business. Whilst it is more exciting to study kings and battles, intrigue and invention, when you want a clear picture of what medieval life is really like, then a book of this nature is worth its weight in gold. History writers in general, and archaeologists in particular, in the past have been guilty of focusing on glittering yet pointless goals. Uncovering a Saxon palace site and reporting it in a five volume series of tomes may further our understanding of the life of ninth century kings, but remember that the king and his hangers on account for a very small sector of society. Society is better understood from the activities of merchants and farmers, tradesman and artisans and the changes in society are more often as a result of their collective power than that of the politicians and armies, more subtle, less glamourous but ultimately more responsible for the shape of the world we inhabit today.
This book is part of a series called "The New Economic History of Britain" but it is much more about the people than the economics of the time, indeed the economics almost seem to appear indecently. To paraphrase Nigel Saul, it is often quipped that social history is economic history with the economics taken out. A better way to look at it may be that economic history could be said to be social history with the economics thrown in. To say that Dyers book is something of a landmark is not to overstate the case, not since M. M. Postans "The Medieval Economy and Society" has such an extensive study of the economic development of medieval Britain been undertaken. But whereas Postan wrote as an economist, Dyer is a historian through and through. His approach is document based and he allows the evidence to set its own agenda. Whereas Postan was well known for selecting evidence specifically to fit his pre-formed theory, Dyer doesn't allow himself to follow any line that isn't bourne out by the evidence.
The book is divided into three sections. The Origins of the Medieval Economy (850-1050), Expansion and Crisis(100-1350) and Making a New World (1350-1520) It has to be said that it is the later period of the book that Dyer is most convincing in, and in this era he manages to turn the pessimism and bleak outlook of Postan on its head and re-interprets the period in a more positive light. The earlier part of the book is presented in vaguer terms, but still holds its own and comes up with some convincing theories. Exploring such themes as the development of class separation, the formation of towns,exchange and trade networks, population increase and inflation, as well as the obvious key events of the times such as the Viking Invasion and the Black Death, a whole range of factors is explored for their effect on society and how society responded to those factors.
At nearly 400 pages, Making a Living... is a large book, but with its chosen span of seven hundred years it has a lot of information to impart, and if Dyer doesn't give us all the answers, he does give us the next best thing, a whole new framework of thinking on which to hang our own interpretations. It is both a scholarly work and a consumerist book and as such covers a wide market audience and with its solid footing in good research and convincing theory it will last a lot longer than many of the passing fads that come and go with such frequency these days.
As for prices, the paper back is priced around the £9.00 mark and the hardback at just under £16.00, the best place I found was at Amazon who may also be able to offer a reduced price on pre-owned copies. There seems to be a re-issued version of the book just released at £25.00 at most stores. Im not sure if any amendments have been made to the newer text, but bear in mind that the above review is based on the earlier version of the book, though Im sure it is still applicable to the newer release as well.
