{"schema_version":"bf_book_companion_v1","release_id":"20260417T232332Z","book":{"amazon_purchase_url":"https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003JBHV4A?tag=bookfrontier-20","asin":"B003JBHV4A","authors":["Joseph Gies","Frances Gies"],"book_id":"9780062016508","canonical_url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/life-in-a-medieval-castle-B003JBHV4A","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780062016508.jpg?v=20260417T232332Z%3A2026-04-17T23%3A23%3A32Z","description":"From acclaimed historians Frances and Joseph Gies comes the reissue of this definitive classic on medieval castles, which was a source for George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones series. “Castles are crumbly and romantic. They still hint at an age more colorful and gallant than our own, but are often debunked by boring people who like to run on about drafts and grumble that the latrines did not work. Joseph and Frances Gies offer a book that helps set the record straight—and keeps the romance too.”— Time A widely respected academic work and a source for George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones , Joseph and Frances Gies’s bestselling Life in a Medieval Castle remains a timeless work of popular medieval scholarship. Focusing on Chepstow, an English castle that survived the turbulent Middle Ages with a relative lack of violence, the book offers an exquisite portrait of what day-to-day life was actually like during the era, and of the key role the castle played. The Gieses take us through the full cycle of a medieval year, dictated by the rhythms of the harvest. We learn what lords and serfs alike would have worn, eaten, and done for leisure, and of the outside threats the castle always hoped to keep at bay. For medieval buffs and anyone who wants to learn more about this fascinating era, Life in a Medieval Castle is as timely today as when it was first published.","forthcoming":false,"isbn13":"9780062016508","publication_date":"20100803","publisher":"HarperCollins","slug":"life-in-a-medieval-castle","subtitle":"Kindle Edition","title":"Life in a Medieval Castle"},"discovery":{"categories":{"all":[{"bisac_code":"HIS037010","confidence_band":"medium","label":"Medieval History","score":0.7963,"source":"bisac_hint_model"},{"bisac_code":"HIS015010","confidence_band":"medium","label":"Early Medieval Britain (to 1066)","score":0.785,"source":"bisac_hint_model"},{"bisac_code":"HIS015020","confidence_band":"medium","label":"Medieval Britain (1066-1485)","score":0.7631,"source":"bisac_hint_model"}],"hint":[{"bisac_code":"HIS037010","confidence_band":"medium","label":"Medieval History","score":0.7963,"source":"bisac_hint_model"},{"bisac_code":"HIS015010","confidence_band":"medium","label":"Early Medieval Britain (to 1066)","score":0.785,"source":"bisac_hint_model"},{"bisac_code":"HIS015020","confidence_band":"medium","label":"Medieval Britain (1066-1485)","score":0.7631,"source":"bisac_hint_model"}],"publisher":[{"bisac_code":"HIS010000","confidence_band":"high","label":"European History","score":1,"source":"onix_publisher_code"},{"bisac_code":"HIS015000","confidence_band":"high","label":"British History","score":1,"source":"onix_publisher_code"},{"bisac_code":"HIS015070","confidence_band":"high","label":"20th-Century Britain","score":1,"source":"onix_publisher_code"},{"bisac_code":"HIS037010","confidence_band":"high","label":"Medieval History","score":1,"source":"onix_publisher_code"},{"bisac_code":"HIS037070","confidence_band":"high","label":"20th-Century History","score":1,"source":"onix_publisher_code"}]},"genres":[{"label":"Medieval History","score":0.7963,"slug":"medieval-history"},{"label":"Early Medieval Britain (to 1066)","score":0.785,"slug":"early-medieval-britain-to-1066"},{"label":"Medieval Britain (1066-1485)","score":0.7631,"slug":"medieval-britain-1066-1485"}],"reader_fit":["Good for readers who enjoy Medieval History","Good for fans of History","Good for readers who enjoy Medieval History and Early Medieval Britain (to 1066)."],"related_lists":[{"intro":"","slug":"shelf-his037010-medieval-history","title":"Medieval History Books","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/lists/shelf-his037010-medieval-history"}],"series":null,"similar_books":[{"authors":["Frances Gies","Joseph Gies"],"book_id":"9780062415189","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780062415189.jpg?v=20260417T232332Z%3A2026-04-17T23%3A23%3A32Z","score":19.9995,"title":"Life in a Medieval City","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9780062415189"},{"authors":["Frances Gies"],"book_id":"9780062966810","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780062966810.jpg?v=20260417T232332Z%3A2026-04-17T23%3A23%3A32Z","score":16.0005,"title":"Marriage and the Family in the Middle Ages","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9780062966810"},{"authors":["Dan Jones"],"book_id":"9781838934828","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9781838934828.jpg?v=20260417T232332Z%3A2026-04-17T23%3A23%3A32Z","score":14.0432,"title":"In the Reign of King John","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9781838934828"},{"authors":["Dan Jones"],"book_id":"9781984880895","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9781984880895.jpg?v=20260417T232332Z%3A2026-04-17T23%3A23%3A32Z","score":13.698,"title":"Powers and Thrones","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9781984880895"},{"authors":["Janina Ramirez","Janina Ramírez"],"book_id":"9781335014986","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9781335014986.jpg?v=20260417T232332Z%3A2026-04-17T23%3A23%3A32Z","score":13.6006,"title":"Femina","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9781335014986"},{"authors":["Dan Jones"],"book_id":"9780143108962","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780143108962.jpg?v=20260417T232332Z%3A2026-04-17T23%3A23%3A32Z","score":13.5959,"title":"The Templars","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9780143108962"},{"authors":["Geoffrey of Monmouth","Lewis Thorpe"],"book_id":"9780140441703","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780140441703.jpg?v=20260417T232332Z%3A2026-04-17T23%3A23%3A32Z","score":13.5948,"title":"The History of the Kings of Britain","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9780140441703"},{"authors":["Charles G. 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