Michael Clanchy (Professor Emeritus of Medieval History at the Institute of Historical Research, University of London and Fellow of the British Academy), who is well-known for his seminal study From Memory to Written Record: England, 1066–1307 (1979; rev. 1993; Oxford,
rev. 2013), has produced a new book with an original introduction that brings together six of his studies, all previously published separately in edited collections between 1983 and 2011. The book concerns a significant theme: the development of literacy in later medieval England and Europe.
The chapters explore the evidence from medieval manuscripts and material culture, especially visual art, to provide support for the idea that mothers taught their children the basics of reading before taking them to school. Clanchy writes:
