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From the back of the book:
To appreciate social history, one must understand, not judge, and one must try to immerse oneself in the period studied and in the mentality of the people. The German poet Heinrich Heine said, "If one has no heart, one cannot write for the masses." To study the lives of the masses in history likewise requires heart; as the selections in this book reveal, the vast majority of people in past societies lived short, unhealthy lives, punctuated more often than not by violence, brutality, and exploitation. The study of social history needs empathy, the ability to place oneself in the hearts and minds of ordinary people in the past. -- Richard M Golden (Introduction)
To appreciate social history, one must understand, not judge, and one must try to immerse oneself in the period studied and in the mentality of the people. The German poet Heinrich Heine said, "If one has no heart, one cannot write for the masses." To study the lives of the masses in history likewise requires heart; as the selections in this book reveal, the vast majority of people in past societies lived short, unhealthy lives, punctuated more often than not by violence, brutality, and exploitation. The study of social history needs empathy, the ability to place oneself in the hearts and minds of ordinary people in the past. -- Richard M Golden (Introduction)
