| Description |
xv, 351 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color) ; 25 cm |
| Note |
Originally published: London : Faber & Faber, 2011. |
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The author hosts a four-part BBC television series, If Walls Could Talk, that accompanies this book. -- Dust jacket. |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 330-336) and index. |
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"In her brilliantly and creatively researched book, Lucy Worsley takes us through the bedroom, bathroom, living room, and kitchen. She covers the history of each room and explores what people actually did in bed, in the bath, at the table, and at the stove... But this book is about far more than the walls, windows, furniture, and appliances that make up a home. Through quirky, fascinating, and seemingly trivial details about domestic life, we can chart revolutionary changes in society. A person's residence makes an excellent starting point for assessing their time, place, and life, and by evaluating changes in homes throughout history, we can learn how we have progressed as a civilization." -- Publisher description. |
| Contents |
Part One. An intimate history of the bedroom. A history of the bed -- Being born -- Was breast always best -- Knickers -- Praying, reading and keeping secrets -- Sick -- Sex -- Conception -- Deviant sex and masturbation -- Venereal disease -- What to wear in bed -- Sleeping with the king -- A history of sleep -- Murdered in our beds -- Part Two. An intimate history of the bathroom. the fall of bathing... -- ...and its resurrection -- The bathroom is born -- Don't forget to brush your teeth -- An apology for beards -- War paint -- The whole world is a toilet -- The wonders of sewers -- A history of toilet paper -- Menstruation -- Part Three. An intimate history of the living room. Sitting comfortably -- A history of clutter -- Heat and light -- 'Speaking' to the servants -- So who vacuums your living room? -- Sitting up straight -- A bright, polite smile -- Kissing and courtship -- Dying (and attending your own funeral) -- Part Four. An intimate history of the kitchen. Why men used to do the cooking -- The kitchen comes in from the cold -- The pungent power of pongs -- Stirring and scrubbing and breaking your back -- Cool -- Peckish -- Trying new foods (and drinks, and drugs) -- Chewing, swallowing, burping and farting -- Raising your elbow -- The political consequences of sauces -- Were they all drunk all the time? -- The wretched washing-up -- Conclusion: What we can learn from the past. |
| Summary |
Why did the flushing toilet take two centuries to catch on? Why did Samuel Pepys never give his mistresses an orgasm? Why did medieval people sleep sitting up? When were the two "dirty centuries"? Why did gas lighting cause Victorian ladies to faint? Why, for centuries, did people fear fruit? All these questions will be answered in this juicy, smelly, and truly intimate history of home life. Lucy Worsley takes us through the bedroom, bathroom, living room, and kitchen, covering the architectural history of each room, but concentrating on what people actually did in bed, in the bath, at the table, and at the stove. From sauce-stirring to breast-feeding, teeth-cleaning to masturbation, getting dressed to getting married, this book will make you see your home with new eyes.-- Provided by publisher. |
| Subject |
Households -- England -- History.
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Families -- England -- History.
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Architecture, Domestic -- England -- History.
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England -- Social life and customs.
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| ISBN |
9780802779953 alkaline paper |
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0802779956 alkaline paper |
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