Preparing for Faire

It's been a few years since I attended this particular event, so a refresher on Early Modern everything seems in order. The object to get back into that 1570s mindset ASAP, so I pulled out some of the more accessible secondary/tertiary sources for a quick skim. Mostly, I want to review all the minutiae of early modern daily life that lies outside my main research interests. And make sure that I have all the coin denominations in order before trying to play picquet.

 

Reading List

In no particular order:

• A Compendium of Common Knowledge (Elizabethan, not pictured because it's a web resource) Bit-sized summaries of just about every topic under the sun: vocabulary, religion, servants' pay, where to shop in London...
  

• Easy Street (Interpretation) How To Engage With Audiences: The Book.
  

• The Time-Travellers' Guide to Elizabethan England (Elizabethan) Various topics, especially for someone traveling through England in the 16th century. Useful table of coin values.
  

• How to Be a Tudor (early 16th century, not pictured) For refreshing on the details of daily routines.

• Black Tudors (16th century) Life stories of specific individuals through the 16th century.

• How to Behave Badly in Elizabethan England (Elizabethan) The opposite of charm school.

• The Domestic Revolution (16th-20th century) Less niche than it appears--fuel use has major implications for trade, vernacular architecture, housekeeping, cooking methods, and even land use. Not all early modern, but the first half is relevant.
  

• Women in Warfare (16th-18th century) Very useful for my specific impression as a camp follower. Definitely the most dense of these sources, but included for extreme relevance.
  

• Description of England (1587) Actually a primary source, but it's really useful for language as well as weird details. Not so quick a read, but worth skimming as time permits.