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WINNER OF THE 2021 NDR BOOK PRIZE IN GERMANY

‘A must-read’ Lyndal Roper, Regius Professor of History at Oriel College, Oxford

Fishing quotas on Lake Constance. Common lands in the UK. The medieval answer to Depop in the middle of Frankfurt.

These are all just some of the sustainability initiatives from the Middle Ages that Annette Kehnel illuminates in her astounding new book, The Green Ages. From the mythical-sounding City of Ladies and their garden economy to early microcredit banks and rent-a-cow schemes, Kehnel uncovers a world at odds with what we might think of as the typical medieval existence.

Pre-modern history is full of inspiring examples and concepts that open up new horizons. And we urgently need them as today’s challenges – finite resources, the twilight of consumerism, growing inequality – threaten what we have come to think of as a modern way of living sustainably.

This is a revelatory look at the past that has the power to change our future.

Publisher Review

Bold and exciting – a must-read! — Lyndal Roper, Regius Professor of History, Oriel College, Oxford Bold, imaginative and vividly written, here finally is a historical survival guide in our climate crisis that reminds us that it is possible to live differently and sustainably — Frank Trentmann, author * Empire of Things: How We Became a World of Consumers, from the Fifteenth Century to the Twenty-First * A wonderful and much-needed book — Harald Welzer, author and editor * futurzwei magazine * Deeply enthralling, erudite and thought provoking. Kehnel shows us exactly why the study of the past is so relevant for the very immediate future * Annie Gray * A clarion call from the past to guide us through a troubled future … Annette Kehnel’s The Green Ages is a book written from the heart but with a head fully versed in medieval economic life and theory and as such it is a fervent cry to reconsider capitalism assumptions as to how the world should be run and to consider instead how to live more harmoniously and in partnership both with each other, with the seasons and the rhythm of the natural world. There is, Kehnel shows, much to learn from the past and if we want a sustainable future that is where we should first look — Henrietta Leyser, author * Medieval Women * A committed and thought provoking book, rich in engaging examples and surprising alternatives, that makes it clear we need the past for our future — Bernd Schneidmuller, Professor of Medieval History, Heidelberg University The Green Ages takes the reader through a fascinating journey over several hundred years of history to prove beyond doubt that a different kind of world really is possible. The book shows that human beings are as capable of cooperation and mutualism as they are of competition and individualism – and that reconnecting with these basic human instincts is the key to our survival — Grace Blakeley, author * Vulture Capitalism * Erudite and engaging, The Green Ages presents a powerful critique of the ideologies of the ‘modern age’ by historicizing their guiding image of the human as the self-interested Homo economicus. Excavating times when sharing, recycling, cooperation, and frugality were some of the reigning values in Europe, Kehnel makes a point crucial to any imagination of change: another world is possible. An important book for all students of sustainable futures — Dipesh Chakrabarty, author * The Climate of History in a Planetary Age and One Planet, Many Worlds *