I thought some folks here might be interested in a new book by Judith Flanders, The Victorian House: Domestic Life from Chilbirth to Deathbed.
The book is unfortunately not yet available in the United States, but here it is for sale in England: http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0007131887/purple-20 (I read a review in the Economist, from which I am quoting. Email me for the complete review.) Ms. Flanders discusses, one to a chapter, each room of the Victorian house and its uses. She ultimately speaks a great deal of life in the 19th century based on architecture: they built for their desires and needs, and the buildings survive. Here's a paragraph from the review that particularly fascinated me: Rich and well-ordered, this study casts brilliant light on the world of Pooter and his predecessors. Curious facts tumble from the pages--that the aspidistra owed its popularity, for example, to its ability to withstand the fumes from gas lighting. Or that the clothes of a woman of fashion might weigh as much as 37lb. Or that before the creation of the mackintosh she was unable to go out in wet weather because umbrellas didn't cover her voluminous garb. Coat hangers were not invented until 1900, but flush loos were seen at the Great Exhibition of 1851. There were 178 toll gates around London which charged vehicles to enter the city: a taste of things to come. -- Jeff Jeff Abrahamson <http://www.purple.com/jeff/> GPG fingerprint: 1A1A BA95 D082 A558 A276 63C6 16BF 8C4C 0D1D AE4B ---- You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named "UnivCity." To unsubscribe or for archive information, see <http://www.purple.com/list.html>.
