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alexisrt's review against another edition
4.0
Domestic history has often been overlooked, especially by male historians, but the work of the home has had a substantial effect on human life. You might think that a change in fuel source is pretty boring and a relatively small footnote, but Goodman makes the case that the change from wood to coal in Britain resulted in substantial changes in how houses were run. As usual Goodman has done a lot of historical recreations and re-enactment as well as paper research, and so you get a lot of first information on how things work from home heating to laundry. It was surprisingly entertaining and a fast read.
portybelle's review against another edition
4.0
The Domestic Revolution is such an interesting and very readable book looking at how using coal changed the way people in Britain lived. It’s a comprehensive account beginning with what people used to use for heating or to cook with (in general wood) and detailing the pros and cons of each method. I kept reading out little facts which caught my attention to my husband, such as when London first started using coal more widely in the 16th century, it was cheaper to bring it by sea from Newcastle than over land from closer coal producing areas.
I was really fascinated to find out the difference chimneys made. Did you know that they enabled us to have more than one floor in a house? Previously all the smoke gathered, of course, at the top of a dwelling so people basically lived at floor level. This in turn led to multi storey living and therefore higher density populations in cities.
I was also surprised to learn that in 17th century London many people may have chosen to eat out or get a takeaway from a pie shop. This may seem odd if you consider that many people were very poor. But it may well have been cheaper to do this than cook yourself when this would involve fuel costs, time to cook which could have been spent working (and therefore earning) and also because people may not have had much by the way of cooking facilities in crowded accommodation. In wealthier households, dirtier coal would have been used in servants areas and kitchens, while more expensive but cleaner wood would have been used in the householder’s area – a sign of status.
I was particularly interested in the changes the switch to coal made to how we cooked and what we ate. Cooking vessels and ovens were adapted and food was cooked in a different way. Food we may consider traditionally British such as roasts and steamed puddings all became possible because of coal. It affected how dishes were cleaned as different kinds of food were able to be prepared but pots etc needed cleaning in different ways. It affected the way people cleaned their houses as coal produced a different kind of dirt. It even changed the way people decorated and furnished their houses.
Ruth Goodman’s obvious enthusiasm shines through and her personal experiences of trying out the various methods spoken about in the book really add credibility to her writing. She brings history to life in this fascinating and accessible read.
I was really fascinated to find out the difference chimneys made. Did you know that they enabled us to have more than one floor in a house? Previously all the smoke gathered, of course, at the top of a dwelling so people basically lived at floor level. This in turn led to multi storey living and therefore higher density populations in cities.
I was also surprised to learn that in 17th century London many people may have chosen to eat out or get a takeaway from a pie shop. This may seem odd if you consider that many people were very poor. But it may well have been cheaper to do this than cook yourself when this would involve fuel costs, time to cook which could have been spent working (and therefore earning) and also because people may not have had much by the way of cooking facilities in crowded accommodation. In wealthier households, dirtier coal would have been used in servants areas and kitchens, while more expensive but cleaner wood would have been used in the householder’s area – a sign of status.
I was particularly interested in the changes the switch to coal made to how we cooked and what we ate. Cooking vessels and ovens were adapted and food was cooked in a different way. Food we may consider traditionally British such as roasts and steamed puddings all became possible because of coal. It affected how dishes were cleaned as different kinds of food were able to be prepared but pots etc needed cleaning in different ways. It affected the way people cleaned their houses as coal produced a different kind of dirt. It even changed the way people decorated and furnished their houses.
Ruth Goodman’s obvious enthusiasm shines through and her personal experiences of trying out the various methods spoken about in the book really add credibility to her writing. She brings history to life in this fascinating and accessible read.
summerfjord's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
The book is really, really interesting and easy to follow, despite being full of info and facts.
However the audiobook narrator was not very confident with latin and foreign names and instead tended to mumble them. I also wish she had had more feeling when reading, as the tone and speed were slightly sleep inducing..
However the audiobook narrator was not very confident with latin and foreign names and instead tended to mumble them. I also wish she had had more feeling when reading, as the tone and speed were slightly sleep inducing..
aschwartz184's review against another edition
3.0
I respect the author and was excited to read this. Unfortunately I only found parts of it interesting. I like that Goodman explored a unique aspect of history (the introduction of coal) but I didn't find it as fascinating as other microhistories on the era.
gillothen's review against another edition
5.0
This is quite simply superb. Ruth Goodman has spent a long time working on "living archaeology", recreating the methods used by our ancestors to run their homes and small businesses. She knows from practical experience what the differences are between a coal-fuelled household and one relying on wood - and the advantages are not all in the same camp.
She develops a careful argument based on surviving records - inventories, wills, account books - and surviving material goods to explore how and why Britain - starting with London - switched its primary source of domestic fuel from wood to coal in a few short decades at the end of Elizabeth I's reign and that of her successor. She then shows with excellent logic how this change went on to inspire developments in metallurgy - Darby of Coalbrookdale started by making cooking pots - and chemistry, and then became part of the imperialist distribution of British ideas and techniques around the globe. Utterly fascinating, well-argued and full of riveting examples.
She develops a careful argument based on surviving records - inventories, wills, account books - and surviving material goods to explore how and why Britain - starting with London - switched its primary source of domestic fuel from wood to coal in a few short decades at the end of Elizabeth I's reign and that of her successor. She then shows with excellent logic how this change went on to inspire developments in metallurgy - Darby of Coalbrookdale started by making cooking pots - and chemistry, and then became part of the imperialist distribution of British ideas and techniques around the globe. Utterly fascinating, well-argued and full of riveting examples.
a_manning11's review
informative
5.0
Ruth Goodman presents historic fact and the results of her own experiments and experiences with clarity and a logical sequence that is easy to follow and entirely fascinating. Having read "How T Be A Tudor" her historical starting point was already familiar to me, but it was essential to outline the changes that occured with the introduction of coal into the home as well as their consequences. The audio book is well done and I look forward to read/listen to more of Goodman's books in the future. I wish her titles as well as those by Alex Langlands and Peter Ginn were more easily available in the USA.
a_manning11's review against another edition
5.0
Ruth Goodman presents historic fact and the results of her own experiments and experiences with clarity and a logical sequence that is easy to follow and entirely fascinating. Having read "How T Be A Tudor" her historical starting point was already familiar to me, but it was essential to outline the changes that occured with the introduction of coal into the home as well as their consequences. The audio book is well done and I look forward to read/listen to more of Goodman's books in the future. I wish her titles as well as those by Alex Langlands and Peter Ginn were more easily available in the USA.
tybo's review against another edition
5.0
If you are interested in the historical minutiae of everyday life, this book is essential. It details knowledge once so well known nobody thought to write it down, but has since been lost to time and technological revolutions, lost that is until Ruth rediscovered them through decades of experimental archaeology/living history. Subjects include best ways to build cooking fires using a range of fuels, how cuisine has changed based upon favored cooking fuels (including an expose about, of all things, toast!) and how washing and cleaning routines have changed over time. The book also contains a wealth of primary sources if that is more your style. Highly recommended.