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How to Be a Victorian
- Narrated by: Patience Tomlinson
- Length: 15 hrs and 1 min
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- A Guide for Knaves, Fools, Harlots, Cuckolds, Drunkards, Liars, Thieves, and Braggarts
- Written by: Ruth Goodman
- Narrated by: Jennifer M. Dixon
- Length: 10 hrs and 57 mins
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Overall
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Story
Every age and social strata has its bad eggs, rule-breakers, and nose-thumbers. As acclaimed popular historian and author of How to Be a Victorian Ruth Goodman reveals in her madcap chronicle, Elizabethan England was particularly rank with troublemakers, from snooty needlers who took aim with a cutting "thee" to lowbrow drunkards with revolting table manners. Goodman draws on advice manuals, court cases, and sermons to offer this colorfully crude portrait of offenses most foul.
-
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Written by: Ruth Goodman
-
The Domestic Revolution
- How the Introduction of Coal into Victorian Homes Changed Everything
- Written by: Ruth Goodman
- Narrated by: Jennifer M. Dixon
- Length: 11 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
No single invention epitomizes the Victorian era more than the black cast-iron range. Aware that the 21st-century has reduced it to a quaint relic, Ruth Goodman was determined to prove that the hot coal stove provided so much more than morning tea: It might even have kick-started the Industrial Revolution. Wielding the wit and passion seen in How to Be a Victorian, Goodman traces the tectonic shift from wood to coal in the mid-16th century - from sooty trials and errors during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I to the totally smog-clouded reign of Queen Victoria.
-
-
Enthralling!
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Written by: Ruth Goodman
-
Normal Women
- Nine Hundred Years of Making History
- Written by: Philippa Gregory
- Narrated by: Philippa Gregory, Clare Corbett, Tania Rodrigues, and others
- Length: 27 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Did you know that there are more penises than women in the Bayeux Tapestry? That the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381 was started and propelled by women who were protesting a tax on women? Or that Charles Darwin believed not just that women were naturally inferior to men, but that they’d evolve to become ever more inferior? These are just a few of the startling findings you will learn from listening to Philippa Gregory’s Normal Women. In this ambitious book, she tells the story of England over 900 years, for the very first time placing women—some fifty per cent of the population—center stage.
-
-
Fantastic!
- By Shannon on 2024-03-27
Written by: Philippa Gregory
-
Behind the Throne
- A Domestic History of the British Royal Household
- Written by: Adrian Tinniswood
- Narrated by: Steven Crossley
- Length: 14 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Behind the Throne, historian Adrian Tinniswood uncovers the reality of five centuries of life at the English court, taking the listener on a remarkable journey from one Queen Elizabeth to another and exploring life as it was lived by clerks and courtiers and clowns and crowned heads: the power struggles and petty rivalries, the tension between duty and desire, the practicalities of cooking dinner for thousands and of ensuring the king always won when he played a game of tennis.
Written by: Adrian Tinniswood
-
Quackery
- A Brief History of the Worst Ways to Cure Everything
- Written by: Lydia Kang, Nate Pedersen
- Narrated by: Hillary Huber
- Length: 10 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
What won't we try in our quest for perfect health, beauty, and the fountain of youth? Well, just imagine a time when doctors prescribed morphine for crying infants. When liquefied gold was touted as immortality in a glass. And when strychnine - yes, that strychnine, the one used in rat poison - was dosed like Viagra. Looking back with fascination, horror, and not a little dash of dark, knowing humor, Quackery recounts the lively, at times unbelievable, history of medical misfires and malpractices.
Written by: Lydia Kang, and others
-
Full Steam Ahead
- How the Railways Made Britain
- Written by: Peter Ginn, Ruth Goodman
- Narrated by: Peter Ginn, Ruth Goodman
- Length: 6 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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-
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Publisher's Summary
Penguin presents the audiobook edition of How to Be a Victorian by Ruth Goodman, read by Patience Tomlinson.
How to be a Victorian - a time traveller's guide to Victorian Britain by the BBC's Ruth Goodman.
We know what life was like for Victoria and Albert. But what was it like for a commoner like you or me? How did it feel to cook with coal and wash with tea leaves? Drink beer for breakfast and clean your teeth with cuttlefish? Dress in whalebone and feed opium to the baby? Surviving everyday life came down to the gritty details, the small necessities and tricks of living.
Drawing on Ruth's unique first-hand experience, gained from living on a Victorian farm for a year, this book will teach you everything you need to know about 19th-century living.
If you liked A Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England or If Walls Could Talk, you will love this book.
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What listeners say about How to Be a Victorian
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- tegan
- 2021-05-28
Wonderful Book
Fascinating glimpse into the life and struggle of the Victorian Era. Not just the romantizied version we are used to.
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- Rebecca Lewis-Russell
- 2023-02-17
Fascinating
I wouldn’t consider myself much of a history buff but I found this book very interesting. I listened to it on Audible in small chunks at a time like 20/30 minutes. I admit, the narrator’s voice is very soothing, and I’d get sleepy if I listened for longer.
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- Ryan
- 2021-04-24
Thorough and enjoyable.
A fascinating and comprehensive look at Victorian life. A very vivid picture of daily life that is educational, yes, but also proves heartwarming, compassionate, and amusing at times. The author is truly passionate and dedicated to her field, and it shows.
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- Aiden
- 2023-07-23
By Far One of the Most Informative Reads
I'm doing research on the 19th century for a project of my own and thus far no book has been more broadly helpful than this one; I think this is the best place to start if you'd like to get more knowledge on the Victorian period and its people.
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- Anonymous User
- 2020-07-06
good for falling asleep
The fun design on the logo is not replicated by the performance. The delivery is stayed, monotone, and perfect for falling asleep... If you want engaging, dynamic storytelling about Victorian life, try Stephen Fry's Victorian Secrets.
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1 person found this helpful