How to be a Victorian

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 sprinkle tea leaves on the carpet? Drink beer for breakfast and clean your teeth with cuttlefish? Dress in whalebone and feed opium to the baby? Surviving everyday life came down the gritty details, the small necessities and tricks of living . . . How to be a Victorianby Ruth Goodman is a journey back in time more intimate, personal and physical than anything before. It is a history from the inside out - how our forebears interacted with the practicalities of their world - and it is a history of those things that make up the day-to-day reality of life, matters so small and seemingly mundane that people scarcely mention them in their diaries or letters. 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 more private nocturnal activities when the door finally closes, this fascinating 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 nineteenth-century living.