I received this book free from Netgalley. That did not influence this review.
Having read A Visitor’s Guide to Jane Austen’s England by Sue Wilkes, I was anxious to follow up with A Visitor’s Guide to Victorian England by Michelle Higgs. This uses the same construction of a guidebook of sorts to England for travelers (time travelers?) curious about daily life during a specific period in the past.
Higgs does not focus as much on the upper crust, but rather on the middle and underclasses. It also is a little less London focused. Otherwise, it similarly relates the typical foods, clothing, modes of travel, types of entertainment, and courting customs of the English. It doesn’t get into politics or economics. And it quotes from primary sources to support its observations.
Although it’s fairly dry reading, it contains a wealth of information—difficult-to-find information such as how much things cost and how long travel takes from one place to another. It’s a wonderful resource for basic information about life in Victorian times.
No comments:
Post a Comment