Most people in the middle ages shared communal living space and lived most of their lives publicly in the midst of other people. Slowly, however, the wealthy began to build parts of their houses that were private and where private activities, such as reading, could be enjoyed. This was a new development and differed from the solitude of the hermit and the silence of the monk. Diana Webb traces what this meant for men and women growing sense of individuality in this highly original book.