How to be a Victorian

(Paperback)

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Description

Horrible History ... for adults. Brimming with frank, witty and often gruesome observations, BBC star Ruth Goodman describes what Victorian life was really like Step into the skin of your ancestors . . . We know what life was like for Victoria and Albert. But what was it like for a commoner like you or me How did it feel to cook with coal and wash with tea leaves Drink beer for breakfast and clean your teeth with cuttlefish Dress in whalebone and feed opium to the baby Surviving everyday life came down to the gritty details, the small necessities and tricks of living . . . How To Be A Victorian by Ruth Goodman is a radical new approach to history; a journey back in time more intimate, personal and physical than anything before. Moving through the rhythm of the day, from waking up to the sound of a knocker-upper man poking a stick at your window, to retiring for nocturnal activities, when the door finally closes on twenty four hours of life, this astonishing guide illuminates the overlapping worlds of health, sex, fashion, food, school, work and play. Drawing on Ruth's unique first-hand experience, gained from living for a year on a Victorian farm, as well as a life devoted to practical historical study and experimentation, this book will teach you everything you need to know about 19th century living.

Reviews

Written with such passion that one cannot help but be carried along . . . Will fascinate and inform anyone who is in any way interested in Victorian ways of life -- Dr Ian Mortimer, author of 'The Time Travellers Guide to Medieval England'
A delightful read . . . allows us to see how the Victorians lived from day to day. A triumph -- Judith Flanders, author of 'The Victorian City'
Shocking, exciting, wonderful -- Clive Anderson * BBC Radio 4 *
Written with such passion that one cannot help but be carried along . . . Will fascinate and inform anyone who is in any way interested in Victorian ways of life -- Dr Ian Mortimer, author of The Time Travellers Guide to Medieval England
A delightful read . . . allows us to see how the Victorians lived from day to day. A triumph -- Judith Flanders, author of The Victorian City
Shocking, exciting, wonderful -- Clive Anderson * BBC Radio 4 *
I absolutely love this book. Exuberant, absorbing ... there's scarcely a detail of Victorian life Ruth has not tried -- A N Wilson * Mail on Sunday *
Ruth - a woman who possesses so much elbow grease that she could probably can the overflow to sell on the side * Independent *
Goodman's enthusiasm for history is as palpable as her contempt for misty-eyed interpretations of it * Telegraph *
Beetonian, compendious * Guardian *
Highly readable, often amusing and sometimes shocking, this is popular history at its best * BBC Who Do You Think You Are magazine *

Author Bio

Ruth Goodman is a historian who specializes in the everyday life of the past. She has written and presented numerous acclaimed BBC television series and is a regular presenter on the One Show. She is the author of How to be a Victorian, and has co-authored three other books, including the Number One Bestseller Victorian Farm.