How to Be a Victorian: A Dawn-To-Dusk Guide to Victorian Life

By Ruth Goodman

Book Overview

Lauded by critics, How to Be a Victorian is an enchanting manual for the insatiably curious, the "the cheapest time-travel machine you'll find" (NPR). Readers have fallen in love with Ruth Goodman, an historian who believes in getting her hands dirty. Drawing on her own firsthand adventures living in re-created Victorian conditions, Goodman serves as our bustling guide to nineteenth-century life. Proceeding from daybreak to bedtime, this charming, illustrative work "imagines the Victorians as intrepid survivors" (New Republic) of the most perennially fascinating era of British history. From lacing into a corset after a round of calisthenics to slipping opium to the little ones, Goodman's account of Victorian life "makes you feel as if you could pass as a native" (The New Yorker).

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 163149113X
• ISBN13: 9781631491139
• Release Date: September 2015
• Publisher: Liveright Publishing Corporation
• Length: 480 Pages
• Weight: 0.92 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 5.4" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

Daily Victorian Life

Ruth Goodman’s history writing comes across in a very different manner- practical and often relatable, as she’s actually lived as much in the time period as any modern person could, and can draw on her own experience wearing a corset and doing farm chores as a Victorian. I love that this book goes over the aspects of daily life of regular people, not just royalty or important historical figures. I also appreciate the coverage of the lives of women and working-class people, who are often left out of history. If you enjoy this definitely check out the Historical Farm TV series- Ruth Goodman and other historians live on a historical reenactment farm.

Great Resource

A great resource for people wanting to learn more about life in Victorian London.

Total Victorian Immersion

I absolutely love this book. If you want to experience a day in the life of a Victorian, this book is for you. The author takes you through a day starting with cleaning and grooming. She discusses clothing, toileting, attitudes, and so much more. Ms. Goodman includes all the socioeconomic classes and what products were available to them. The author even shares with the reader what things she has tried and replicated from that time period. I feel as though I had been taken on a real adventure through Victorian England.