'Some particular books I found useful for A Game of Thrones and its sequels deserve mention...Life in a Medieval Castle and Life in a Medieval City, both by Joseph and Frances Gies.' -George R.R. Martin, author of the series A Song of Ice and Fire Medieval history comes alive in Frances and Joseph Gies's Life in a Medieval City, used as a research resource by George R. R. Martin in creating the world of A Game of Thrones. Reissued for the first time in decades, Life in a Medieval City is the classic account of the year 1250 in the city of Troyes, in modern-day France. Acclaimed historians Frances and Joseph Gies focus on a high point of medieval civilization-before war and the Black Death ravaged Europe-providing a fascinating window into the sophistication of a period we too often dismiss as backward. Urban life in the Middle Ages revolved around the home, often a mixed-use dwelling for burghers with a store or workshop on the ground floor and living quarters upstairs. A developed