Daily Life in Victorian England

I have made a very thorough (though amateur) study of the Victorian period, and as such, I have read many reference texts, but I often come back to Dr. Mitchell's book for fun and for its completeness. The way she easily sums up concepts and creates a real picture is engaging and informative. This book is especially good for first timers, but she doesn't stick exclusively to explaining novels, the way some do. Above all, there is a real expression of the hardship of the forgotten working class; their perilous but proud existance, their very "cheap" lives, their "go it alone" attitude. This population made up 3/4th of the country and is antithetical to the nobles and squires often celebrated in Victorian novels. I highly recommend this book.

In doing extensive research on the basic, every day living of people in Victorian England, I found this book to be an invaluable source to my work. Of all of the books that I ordered, Mitchell's guide to Victorian England truly gives the reader a picture of people, places, and ideas that is only dealt with on surface levels in other texts. For my own work, this book was a savior!!

You know, if history classes in schools used books like the 'Daily Life' series as their text, I'm sure alot more kids would not find history so boring. In fact, many kids would probably actually enjoy it! Written in a highly readable 'you are there' style, they truly bring the past to life. Daily Life In Victorian England by Sally Mitchell is no exception. I've used it extensively to add 'flesh to the bones' of my long dead English ancestors in my genealogy research. My ancestors were far from rich and this book explains, in descriptive detail, how they lived and survived; from a description of what their small cottage may have looked like, to the food they ate, to the clothes they wore, and even what type of lighting they had (hint: they probably did not use candles early on!). Birth, baptism, marriage, death and dying, funerals, celebrations- it's all here. And, as I mentioned above, it doesn't just concentrate on the well to do, but ALL the classes of people. This is really a wonderfully written book that is highly recommended. Any interest at all in this era, then it is a MUST HAVE.

This book is a wonderful resource for any student of the Victorian period. There is detailed information on a tremendous range of subjects that provide a thorough picture of what it was like to be alive in England in the 19th century. The historical context this book provides for reading Victorian literature is invaluable, and it also makes a great reference tool for quick, factual information, like dates, population figures, or other statistics.