Sorry for the delay in replying but I have been in Holland on a museums 
tour - as it happens lead by AnneMarieke Willemsen, a specialist in the 
archeology of of medieval childhood who is currently writing a book on 
late mediveal schools including their material culture. Orme's book is 
an important book on medieval English childhood though not necessarily 
the most exciting read. It is basically a demolition of Aries from a 
medieval historian's perspective. Its  also one of several recent books 
that warns that the transition from the  medieval to early modern period 
didn't necessarily see a revolution in everything.. One of the problems 
for European archaeologists  has been survival of evidence but 
waterlogged deposits have increasingly produced huge amounts of material 
from London - much published see my previous email- but there are vast 
quantities of material from places like Amsterdam - where there is just 
too much to even fully analyse never mind publish-though AnneMarieke has 
hopes she will do something on the Amsterdam toy/child finds.


paul





Barbara Hickman wrote:

>Paul, are you familiar with Nicholas Orme's Medieval Children? I was
>wondering what other people thought about it. Barbara Hanawalt's books
>on childhood are okay, albeit brief. BJH
>
>  
>
>>>>[log in to unmask] 08 November, 2005 2:18 PM >>>
>>>>        
>>>>
>Just back from Italy after watching the red sunset over the Venetian 
>lagoon (In between bronchitis, getting drenched by a cloud burst and 
>bitten by mosquitoes but the pasta, grappa and architecture were great)
>
>I havent had time to read this thread but Aries should be read with 
>caution. His notion that affectionate parenthood is a very invention is
>
>now rejected by most social historians. Rather early modern
>aristocratic 
>social life is now seen as rather unusual. A better book is D. Kertzer
>
>and M. Barbagli, The History of the European Family vol.1: Family Life
>
>in Early Modern Times 1500-1789. Recent toy books include Anne Marieke
>
>Willemsen's (1998). Kinder delijt. Middeleeuws speelgoed in de 
>Nederlanden - but already out of print.and Hazel Forsythe with Geoff 
>Egan, Toys, Trifles and Trinkets: Base metal minatures from London 
>1200-1800 (2005). Actually one of the first things you notice in Italy
>
>as  a northern European is that children and mothers are worshipped..
>On 
>the other hand Italian waiters are always shocked when my wife proffers
>
>HER credit card.
>
>paul courtney
>leicester
>UK
>
>
>George Myers wrote:
>
>  
>
>>CENTURIES OF CHILDHOOD
>>By Philippe Aries. New York: Vintage Books, 1962. 447 pages.
>>
>>(When NYU assigned it "Childhood through the Centuries" I thought.)
>>
>>Quick study:
>>http://www.webster.edu/~corbetre/philosophy/children/aries.html
>>
>>George Myers
>> 
>>
>>    
>>
>
>  
>