Round About A Pound A Week is an in-depth record of how low-income families in Lambeth managed to keep house and home together with only about £1 a week. It follows a four-year study by the Fabian Women’s Group which recorded the daily budgets of about 30 families between 1909-1913. As a book, it is … Continue reading
Moby Dick is a classic story of heroism, mental anguish and disaster on the high seas. In this beauti fully researched book, Philbrick follows the history of the Essex, the original whaler that the Moby Dick story was based on. I loved this book because as well as following the story of the ship it … Continue reading
I loved this book. You’ll know by now that my inner history geek is strong, but this really is fascinating. Worsley takes us on an entertaining walk around the history of the home starting with the history of the bed and ending with the history of the washing up, via the wonders of sewers, a … Continue reading
When I was at University the mother of a very good friend of mine came to visit and we ended up talking about a book we were reading called an Intelligent Woman’s Guide to Socialism and Capitalism by Bernard Shaw. She later sent this (much more slender) book to me with a note suggesting that … Continue reading
Pandora’s Breeches is a brilliant study of women in science during the Enlightenment. Fara effortlessly dismantles the ‘great man’ approach to scientific history by introducing the women, and for that matter all the other people, who were involved in the scientific breakthroughs of the Enlightenment. From the glittering intellectual Emelie du Chatelet to the painfully self-abnegating … Continue reading
On Friday E and I spent the night at the Natural History Museum in London at a Dinosnores event. It was a brilliant opportunity to explore the museum when it isn’t packed full of people and there were also some great talks, a comedy show and a gin tasting! All of which is relevant because it … Continue reading
Sisters in Arms tells the story of women who joined the Queen Alexandra’s Imperial Military Nursing Service in the Second World War. Generally known as ‘QAs’ these women were selected from the higher ranks of society, considered part of the military, held officer rank and nursed on the front line Europe, Africa, the Far East, … Continue reading
Well, this book does exactly what it says on the tin. It is a workmanlike job, but for me it lacks the enthusiasm I look for in a great history book. There is little joy here in the interesting quirks and tidbits of life that make history so interesting, and consequently, it was a bit … Continue reading
This is a fascinating history set at the fall of the Roman empire when barbarian hordes swept through Europe destroying everything before them. As scholars fled the chaos, and priests sought safer land, one of the few places that they could go was Ireland. So, this book begins in Rome, but soon we meet St … Continue reading
A few years ago, my parents (in a fit of madness) moved to South Sudan. They were going to spend two years working in the local government education department of a South Sudanese town called Rumbek. When they went, they left me with this book which they said provided a great overview of the history … Continue reading
Few industries can rival the antiquity of Cornish mining, and still fewer have excited such fascination among economic and social historians. I do love a bold claim and a niche history book. Here we are with both! This is the start of a two part in-depth look at Cornwall. Today we focus on history, and … Continue reading
Fear not, dear reader, this blog is not descending into a pit of depravity. I can assure you that despite the salacious title of this book it is a bonafide history, and one that tells a fascinating story of women and colonialism in the 18th century. 1789, the first settlers at Sydney Cove are desperate … Continue reading
I’m not generally one for military history, but this is a little gem of a book. It charts the development of photographic intelligence in World War II and is chock-full of anecdotes that take it beyond the usual “and then we went here and killed people, then we developed new ways of killing people, and … Continue reading
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