Customer Reviews

Restoration London: Engaging Anecdotes and Tantalizing Trivia from the Most Magnificent and Renowned City of Europe

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Liza Picard's recently published book, "Restoration London: Engaging Anecdotes and Tantalizing Trivia from the Most Magnificent and Renowned City of Europe" (Post Road Press, 2000) is every bit as entertaining and informative as her last book, "Restoration London: From Poverty to Pets, From Medicine to Magic, From Slang to Sex, From Wallpaper to Women's Rights" (St. Martin's Press, 1998). In fact, it _is_ her last book, in soft-cover and with a new subtitle.

This is one of the best books of its kind and a model of what a popular history of social life should be. Liza Picard focuses tightly on her subject and period (London from 1660 to 1670), and the result is that no factoid is too trivial for inclusion. Relying mainly on the diaries of Samuel Pepys with additional material from other contemporary sources, Picard illuminates the unconscious assumptions, strange beliefs, and curious daily habits of people who can seem as alien as if they lived on another planet, and yet are undeniably human. The book is well organized, well indexed, and admirably endnoted, but don't mistake this for a dry, scholarly tome. Picard's style is gracefully informal, sometimes tart but never judgmental. It is clear that she bears a strong, if bemused, affection for the people of a harsh and wonderful era.

The soft-cover edition is trade sized, only slightly smaller than the hard-cover, with hideous cover art. The type is dark and surprisingly crisp considering the roughness of the paper, which is sadly thin and shows through. The hard-cover is more attractive as a physical object and benefits from a dust jacket featuring a charming 17th century still life which perfectly illustrates the book's theme.

RESTORATION LONDON, written, oddly enough, by a lawyer, is a cross-sectional portrait of the city in the years 1660-1670. Extensively researched, it answers any questions you may have had about London during that period, and many more you wouldn't have thought to ask. The author, Liza Picard, leaves no stone unturned to describe the condition and characteristics of the streets, water supply, pollution, waste disposal, the great fire of 1666, houses, interior decorating, heating, lighting, furniture, gardens, parks, postal service, medicine, dentistry, clothing, jewelry, cosmetics, hairdressing, housework, shopping, markets, payment, prices, cooking, recipes, drink, the household master and mistress, children, apprentices, servants, slaves, pets, education, etiquette, the arts, music, dancing, excursions, the law, marriage, divorce, crime, taxes, contracts, wills, the rich, the poor, the "middling sort", the Church of England, the Church of Rome, the Jews, astrology, superstitions, witchcraft, and everybody's favorite - sex.

Unless, like I do, you think London the greatest city on earth, or are just interested in urban life in past times, you may find this book a bit over the top. However, Picard entertains, and informs, with a dry wit that is perhaps too infrequently demonstrated. Consider this on the role of physicians:

"Poor Charles II, dying of a stroke and kidney failure, had to suffer bleeding and enemas, cantharides on his scalp and red-hot irons on his feet, as well as a total of 58 drugs, all in his last five days. The energy of his physicians was much admired in professional circles."

This book was absolutely perfect. I wish this woman would write about other eras in history as well. She gets as close as one could imagine to describing what it must have really been like to be alive during that time (The short answer: Very very smelly) because she bases it on the diaries and journals of folks that lived through it. Plus she's a Brit so the "asides" are an absolute howl (without distracting from the subject). To sum up, I'm crazy about this book and I appreciate the author writing it especially for me.

liza picard is a lawyer,and,out of pure fascination with the topic of historical london,started research on phases gone by,pouring the results into several books,among them,this,about the restoration era.
i read an excerpt of samuel pepys' diary 25 years ago,and am generally interested in history.and still,picard more than succeeds in amazing me,page by page.in anecdotes and descriptions,the author makes london resurrect as it was then,you see the people,their clothes,behaviour,you hear them speak,you jump aside as a hackney coach threatens to roll over you,sit down to dinner,wondering what is being served,and,most of all,you smell the time.
it is for the newcomer to this era,as well as readers with knowledge thereof already.
i am looking forward to her other books.