George Orwell's observations on the appalling living conditions of the unemployed of northern England in 1937, includes evaluations of middle class prejudice and apathy, and a criticism of socialism.

"The folk memory of Britain in the years before the Great War is of a powerful, contented, orderly and thriving country. She commanded a vast empire. She bestrode international commerce. Her citizens were living longer, profiting from civil liberties their grandparents only dreamt of, and enjoying an expanding range of comforts and pastimes. The mood of pride and self-confidence is familiar from Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance marches, newsreels of...

Just how good were the good old days? Travel back in time with the Bowler family, smitten by the idea of experiencing the Victorian lifestyle right down to corsets, chamber pots and cutthroat razors, as they turn back the calendar to spring of 1900. Their eye-opening experiences of the grueling demands of a bygone era help them to understand another era with an exceptional clarity and a unique perspective.

"In this brilliantly illuminating work exploring the realities and legacies of empire, Sathnam Sanghera demonstrates how so much of what we consider to be modern Britain is actually rooted in its imperial past. In prose that is at once both clear-eyed and full of acerbic wit, Sanghera shows how the past is everywhere in the United Kingdom, also drawing critical links to similarities in the United States and around the world. Empire--British or otherwise--informs...

Beginning at dawn with the cock's rousing crow and proceeding into either Catholic abstinence or Protestant-approved marital relations at nightfall, this work celebrates the ordinary lives of those who labored through the dramatic Tudor era. Goodman draws on her own hands-on experience living on a replicated Tudor farm to bring all the sights, smells, and appetites of this era to visceral, vibrant life. The Tudor period began in 1485 with the crowning...

Tom Parker is obsessed with turning the sleepy seaside village of Sanditon into a fashionable health resort, enlisting the backing of local bigwig Lady Denham. Through a mishap, Tom makes the acquaintance of the Heywoods and invites their eldest daughter, Charlotte, for an extended stay at Sanditon. Meanwhile, Lady Denham, a widow, is playing matchmaker for her destitute nephew, Sir Edward, who is determined to seduce Lady Denham's ward, Clara.

This time the gossip columnists have it all wrong. London's most elusive bachelor Anthony Bridgerton hasn't just decided to marry - he's even chosen a wife! The only obstacle is his intended's older sister, Kate Sheffield - the most meddlesome woman ever to grace a London ballroom. The spirited schemer is driving Anthony mad with her determination to stop the betrothal, but when he closes his eyes at night, Kate's the woman haunting his increasingly...

A member of the House of Lords dies in a shockingly silly way, leaving his estate to his son. Unfortunately, his son is insane: he thinks he is Jesus Christ. He is "cured" of that affliction, only to become Jack the Ripper incarnate, blood thirsty Tory who is therefore sane and eminently acceptable to the House of Lords. An irreverant look at Britain's class system that peers behind the closed doors of the aristocracy.

High-spirited heroine Charlotte Heywood returns to the picturesque coastal resort of Sanditon and the companionship of her friend Georgiana Lambe. What adventures, scandals, intrigue and above all else, romance, await Miss Heywood this season?

Drawing on her own adventures living in re-created Victorian conditions, Goodman serves as our bustling and fanciful guide to nineteenth-century life. Proceeding from daybreak to bedtime, she celebrates the ordinary lives of the most perennially fascinating era of British history. From waking up to the rapping of a "knocker-upper man" on the window pane to lacing into a corset after a round of calisthenics, from slipping opium to the little ones to...