Customer Reviews

Daily Life in Victorian England (The Greenwood Press Daily Life Through History Series)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

You know, if history classes in schools used books like the 'Daily Life' series as their text, I'm sure alot more kids would not find history so boring. In fact, many kids would probably actually enjoy it! Written in a highly readable 'you are there' style, they truly bring the past to life. Daily Life In Victorian England by Sally Mitchell is no exception. I've used it extensively to add 'flesh to the bones' of my long dead English ancestors in my genealogy research. My ancestors were far from rich and this book explains, in descriptive detail, how they lived and survived; from a description of what their small cottage may have looked like, to the food they ate, to the clothes they wore, and even what type of lighting they had (hint: they probably did not use candles early on!). Birth, baptism, marriage, death and dying, funerals, celebrations- it's all here. And, as I mentioned above, it doesn't just concentrate on the well to do, but ALL the classes of people. This is really a wonderfully written book that is highly recommended. Any interest at all in this era, then it is a MUST HAVE.

Whether you use this book purely for research purposes or simply because you are curious about English life during Victoria's Reign, you will not be disappointed. The content is exceptionally impressive, with none of the padding out and boring text often found in history books. The book is divided into different sections which deal with a wide range of subjects, so you don't have to read through lots of text just to find one particular subject. The book is well illustrated and all kinds of topics are included, from clothing to Victorian morality. As a historical author, I personally found this book to be extremely beneficial and enjoyable to read.

In doing extensive research on the basic, every day living of people in Victorian England, I found this book to be an invaluable source to my work. Of all of the books that I ordered, Mitchell's guide to Victorian England truly gives the reader a picture of people, places, and ideas that is only dealt with on surface levels in other texts. For my own work, this book was a savior!!

This book is a wonderful resource for any student of the Victorian period. There is detailed information on a tremendous range of subjects that provide a thorough picture of what it was like to be alive in England in the 19th century. The historical context this book provides for reading Victorian literature is invaluable, and it also makes a great reference tool for quick, factual information, like dates, population figures, or other statistics.

I have made a very thorough (though amateur) study of the Victorian period, and as such, I have read many reference texts, but I often come back to Dr. Mitchell's book for fun and for its completeness. The way she easily sums up concepts and creates a real picture is engaging and informative. This book is especially good for first timers, but she doesn't stick exclusively to explaining novels, the way some do. Above all, there is a real expression of the hardship of the forgotten working class; their perilous but proud existance, their very "cheap" lives, their "go it alone" attitude. This population made up 3/4th of the country and is antithetical to the nobles and squires often celebrated in Victorian novels. I highly recommend this book.

This book does provide a useful overview, well adapted to settings such as classrooms, where readers are likely to be having their first exposure to the Victorian era.

For those, such as myself, who are adults who have studied or explored the Victorian age in the past, there is nothing really new here, and the organisation and tone of writing, which assumes no previous knowledge and is very much "junior high" level, make it a less than engaging read.

I'm writing a novel which takes place through much of this period and i found the information here most helpful Thank you Sally Mitchell - Thank you Amazon.com.

This is an excellent general reference for the workings of life in Victorian England. However, because the subject matter is so broad, the text inevitably can not offer significant depth in any one area. As a general reference for Victorian England, it servers its purpose well, and can give the casual reader or even professional historian an overview of almost any subject. However, for those seeking to fully understand one of the topic areas in greater detail, this book doesn't measure up.

This book practially wrote my report for me. I guess I shouldn't have told others; now I can't find it anywhere! It is also a pleasure to read.