purplecat: Hand Drawn picture of a Toy Cat (books)
[personal profile] purplecat
My history teacher at school always maintained that the 18th century was boring. So boring, in fact, that she skipped pretty much straight from the death of Queen Anne to the accession of Queen Victoria. In my, somewhat dim, recollection this was all blamed on Cecil Rhodes in some way. The thought has gradually been dawning on me that she might have been incorrect about this as, I suspect, she may have been wrong about the tragic tale of Elizabeth I's heartbreak although she was clearly completely right about the innocence of Richard III. History was my favourite subject at school since it seemed to revolve entirely around scandal, prejudice and who's wife got on with whom.

Anyway as a scientist with an interest in the history of ideas, missing out on the 18th century has proved to be something of a hole in my education. On the other hand there is nothing like deciding to set some fanfic in 18th century London to make you actually do something about such a hole. So I haven't gone out and purchased anything on the Royal Society or the Enlightenment but instead purchased a book which revels in the details of life in London 1740-1770.

Dr Johnson's London by Lisa Picard is a strange book. It's not a history book by any stretch of the imagination, it doesn't really seek to place anything in context. It reads like a strange mixture, in fact, between a roleplaying source book and a coffee table book. It's full of short sections, packed with facts intended to provide flavour, inform or amuse. Picard has a wry sense of humour and sprinkles the book with her own personality. At the end of a section on the language of fans she comments "But the snag, as with all phrase books, was the risk of your partner having a different edition, or none at all, and this desperate semaphore getting you nowhere.". However she also has a tendency towards sudden non-sequiturs and the abrupt dropping of subjects which makes reading the book a rather disjointed experience. It's a useful and entertaining source of random facts about life in 18th century London but I didn't feel I came away with any overall understanding of any aspect of that life, beyond the vital importance of stays. 150 years later my great-grandmother was to work briefly as a stay-maker, clearly little had changed.

18th century

Date: 2009-01-08 08:01 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] lonemagpie.livejournal.com
The eighteenth century is fascinating as the period when superstition gives way to the beginnings of modern science ( eg Newton practiced alchemy as well as discovering gravity)

Book recommendations from Sweetheartwhale:1) "The Lunar Men" - she can't remember the author's name but its about Wedgwood and his society of fellow scientists.2) "The Scottish Enlightenment", same sort of things but also has details on the politics and philosophy. Try amazon -should both still be in print.

Happy discovering!

Re: 18th century

Date: 2009-01-08 08:07 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] parrot-knight.livejournal.com
The Lunar Men is by Jenny Uglow and is worth looking at.

Re: 18th century

Date: 2009-01-09 10:33 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] wellinghall.livejournal.com
I've heard of that ...

Re: 18th century

Date: 2009-01-08 10:07 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] lonemagpie.livejournal.com
And that's just the science interest - there's also the American Revolution, French Revolution, the Act Of Union...

(no subject)

Date: 2009-01-08 08:11 pm (UTC)
fredbassett: (Default)
From: [personal profile] fredbassett
Sounds interesting! Is this for more Primeval by Gaslight?

(no subject)

Date: 2009-01-08 08:19 pm (UTC)
fredbassett: (Default)
From: [personal profile] fredbassett
Ah, the mad Leela/Ryan bunny. Rodlox will be in seventh heaven, and I'll read it for sure.

(no subject)

Date: 2009-01-08 08:26 pm (UTC)
fredbassett: (Default)
From: [personal profile] fredbassett
If it's got Ryan in tight breeches and a floppy shirt, you can count Telperion_15 and Bigtitch in the readership as well!

(no subject)

Date: 2009-01-08 11:39 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] rodlox.livejournal.com
*is exceedingly anticipating*

oh no, not seventh heaven...I've got muse construction crews on standby, just in case it turns out someone was pulling my leg when they told me that - in one religion somewhere - there are over a hundred tiers to heaven.

(no subject)

Date: 2009-01-09 02:58 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] rodlox.livejournal.com
no rush: my birthday's in November.

seriously: whenever you feel it's done, I've no doubt I'll enjoy it.

(no subject)

Date: 2009-01-08 08:38 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] reggietate.livejournal.com
Maybe you could do the second ep in the 50s, like Quatermass and the Pit :-)

(no subject)

Date: 2009-01-08 09:01 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] reggietate.livejournal.com
It would certainly make it easier to get Abby properly involved.

That's kind of what I was thinking :-) And the thought of the SF boys in 50s style British Army uniforms is appealing, too.

(no subject)

Date: 2009-01-08 11:43 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] rodlox.livejournal.com
>50s style British Army uniforms

(you see? I told you Doctor Who counts as period research)
Lt Tremayne, I suggest you hush up, or I'll have the Doctor bugger you.
(how is that a threat?)
the First Doctor.
(ASB! *runs away anyway*)

(no subject)

Date: 2009-01-08 08:19 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] reggietate.livejournal.com
Books about the criminal underworld of the period are always useful for reference, too. The murky underbelly of society is far more fascinating than the upper echelons.

Frank McLynn's Crime and Punishment in 18th Century England is interesting, and London Life in the 18th Century, by M.Dorothy George, gives a good overview of society in general as experienced in the capital - my copy has been very well-thumbed.

(no subject)

Date: 2009-01-08 08:35 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] reggietate.livejournal.com
McLynn which starts at £35.44 (ouch!)

Wow! Definitely ouch, at that price! My copy of the McLynn is a paperback, bought it years ago. Thirty-five quid is a mite steep, I have to say (must be the hardback).

(no subject)

Date: 2009-01-08 08:41 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] ladyofastolat.livejournal.com
Ooh, the most fun I've ever had in fanfic writing ever came from writing an (illustrated) 18th century AU (set in 1721.) It was a sheer joy from start to finish. I'm caught between nostalgia and jealousy now. :-)

Re: History teachers...

Date: 2009-01-09 09:48 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] nyarbaggytep.livejournal.com
She was lovely. One of the main reasons I took History at Uni I think.

lunar men. english and scottish enlghtenment etc

Date: 2009-01-10 11:10 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] jendennis.livejournal.com
Just to say that there is a bookshelf of this stuff at home from the days when it was one of John's main interests. No need to buy. Just visit Oxford.
Love Mum

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