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69th out of 403 books
—
287 voters
Dr. Johnson's London: Coffee-Houses and Climbing Boys, Medicine, Toothpaste and Gin, Poverty and Press-Gangs, Freakshows and Female Education
by
Liza Picard
The practical realities of everyday life are rarely described in history books. To remedy this, and to satisfy her own curiosity about the lives of our ancestors, Liza Picard immersed herself in contemporary sources - diaries and journals, almanacs and newspapers, government papers and reports, advice books and memoirs - to examine the substance of life in mid-18th century...more
Hardcover, 384 pages
Published
July 23rd 2001
by St. Martin's Press
(first published 2000)
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Dec 21, 2010
Bettie
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Shelves:
winter-20102011,
nonfiction,
history,
britain-england,
published-2000,
medical-eew,
sciences
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Apr 15, 2011
Esther
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommended to Esther by:
Swiped from Bettie's site
Shelves:
non-fiction
Well, nix on the time machine I've been building in the garden shed! Here's to the Bad Old Times - long may they remind me how to appreciate the present!
Enjoyed this book. The author divided up the information well, which helped to keep it from getting dry. And she let her sense of humor come through, which was great. My conclusion? Life was unbearably smelly (no deoderant, few baths, no knickers, scary or nonexistent sewers) and incredibly loud (hawkers yelling in the streets, horses hooves on...more
Enjoyed this book. The author divided up the information well, which helped to keep it from getting dry. And she let her sense of humor come through, which was great. My conclusion? Life was unbearably smelly (no deoderant, few baths, no knickers, scary or nonexistent sewers) and incredibly loud (hawkers yelling in the streets, horses hooves on...more
Jun 21, 2010
Nancy
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Those who like English history
Shelves:
history
Not only was Liza Picard's book Dr. Johnson's London informative, but it was easy to read with short sections covering life in England in the eighteenth century. If there was any aspect of this life left out, I have no clue what it might have been.
If the past looks attractive, the people who lived it had to fight disease without knowledge, vermin without adequate means of containing them and dirt both in their houses and on themselves. Bathing was a relative rare thing and personal hygiene was...more
If the past looks attractive, the people who lived it had to fight disease without knowledge, vermin without adequate means of containing them and dirt both in their houses and on themselves. Bathing was a relative rare thing and personal hygiene was...more
This could have been more detailed but I'm a whore for anything Victorian and Dr. Johnson's London is readable and filled with lots of great facts for anyone who's interested in the Victorian era.
Simply fascinating. Essential reading for anyone interested in the social history of London. It's amazing how little the city has changed.
The practical realities of everyday life are rarely described in history books. To remedy this, and to satisfy her own curiosity about the lives of our ancestors, Liza Picard immersed herself in contemporary sources - diaries and journals, almanacs and newspapers, government papers and reports, advice books and memoirs - to examine the substance of life in mid-18th century London. The fascinating result of her research, Dr. Johnson's London introduces the reader to every facet of that period: fr...more
After just touring Dr. Johnson's house in London, this book could not have been read at a better time. Dr. Johnson published his great dictionary in 1755 and this book spans the time period between 1740 thru 1770. Many interesting details..The British Library was started by a lottery, Wilbur Wilberforce (who worked to abolish slavery) also worked to abolish the lottery and on and on. Details about freak shows, prostitues and how both rich and poor lived, drank and worked in London town. The book...more
A fascinating book looking at London in the 18 Century. It is split into four sections, and split into lots of chapters covering all manner of subjects. The original source material is based on numerous books that Pickard has combined into this volume.
Parts of the book will make you shudder, especially the medical section. It bring home how bad things were in London in this time period, from the dirt, the smells, the adulterated food, the arbitrary justice and the polarisation between rich and p...more
Parts of the book will make you shudder, especially the medical section. It bring home how bad things were in London in this time period, from the dirt, the smells, the adulterated food, the arbitrary justice and the polarisation between rich and p...more
A great source book if you are setting a novel in 18th century - or you're just interested in the period.
The only reason I don't give it five stars is that (for me at least) the writing style sometimes lacks clarity, and you end up lost in a sentence, and having to go back over it to understand what is being said.
But I wouldn't be without it.
The only reason I don't give it five stars is that (for me at least) the writing style sometimes lacks clarity, and you end up lost in a sentence, and having to go back over it to understand what is being said.
But I wouldn't be without it.
A discourse about London between 1740 and 1776.
It has everything you could ever want to know about real life during the Georgian period of London. Plumbing, prostitutes, Gin, poverty, chimney sweeps and more.
It is pretty interesting what life was actually like and what those people had to endure. It isnt something that is ever accurately portrayed in movies or TV.
The author obviously did her homework.
My only complaint was that this read more like a PhD Thesis than a book. There didnt seem to be...more
It has everything you could ever want to know about real life during the Georgian period of London. Plumbing, prostitutes, Gin, poverty, chimney sweeps and more.
It is pretty interesting what life was actually like and what those people had to endure. It isnt something that is ever accurately portrayed in movies or TV.
The author obviously did her homework.
My only complaint was that this read more like a PhD Thesis than a book. There didnt seem to be...more
If a history book can be described as "playful," this would fit the bill. Thoroughly enjoyed it and felt the author chuckling over my shoulder.
The format of this book was unique even for a non-fiction. It told about daily living of the general population of London in 1740 - 1770. There is no real story line, instead there are descriptions of topics that are logically grouped together.
It is easy to see why the Plague was able to reproduce so quickly. People threw their waste out the window and into the streets which would flood and freeze over in winter, thereby preserving all the nasty microbes to reproduce, populate, and infect peopl...more
It is easy to see why the Plague was able to reproduce so quickly. People threw their waste out the window and into the streets which would flood and freeze over in winter, thereby preserving all the nasty microbes to reproduce, populate, and infect peopl...more
A really great book shows us how everything is great and worth to die for
Fascinating and well-written look at London in the mid-1700's.
Another favourite - A1 read
The only reason this book took me so long to finish is that I read it aloud to my husband at bedtime. Picard creates a fascinating account of life in 18th century London, and the best part is definitely the largest, first section that deals with the poorest element. The descriptions are very visual, easy to read, and fascinating. Picard also writes with a good sense of humor, making for some laugh out loud moments. And her research is impeccable, working with original sources. Highly recommended...more
Super book. Bite-size chunks of information, well researched and clearly referenced, and a humorous authorial voice throughout. The sort of book you want to be twice as long. Recommended without reservations.
Jan 13, 2010
Caroline
added it
Glorious.
London as Dr. Johnson knew it, as depicted in various anecdotes and historical snippets. The book is divided into three sections, describing the lives of the poor, the "middling sort," and the upper classes (though Picard does a lot of talking about Lord This and Lady That in the "middling sort" segment). A very handy book for the writer of historical fiction, since it addresses nearly every aspect of London life at the time.
Fascinating book. Not as good as her Restoration London; in part, because this book covers a much longer time period. It is hard to tell how life in London changed within that this period. Restoration London had a more intimate feel and I like that it closely followed Pepys' diary. This book quotes Dr. Johnson but not in as close a way. However, this is still an enjoyable and enlightening read.
I enjoyed the book but found it very distracting and frustrating that Ms. Picard referenced so many paintings throughout the book without including them as illustrations. The illustrations included were illuminating but I felt that I should have read the book while sitting at my computer to look up the many paintings she spoke of that weren't included.
Mostly terrific, but with some stretches of lax interest. (My fault entirely - not the authors in any way.)
A wide variety of information on mid-18th century London, read more like snippets from an encyclopedia than a lot of other history books.
Loving this book! I am writing my second Georgian-era historical novel, and this is such a good overview of the period!
May 11, 2013
Sarah Norwood-sanders
marked it as to-read
May 10, 2013
Tabatha Rose
marked it as to-read
May 08, 2013
Jo
marked it as to-read
May 07, 2013
Tammy Lynn Gilmore
marked it as to-read
May 07, 2013
Mandy
marked it as to-read
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Liza Picard was born in 1927. She read law at the London School of Economics and qualified as a barrister, but did not practise. She spent many years working in the office of the Solicitor of the Inland Revenue and lived in Gray’s Inn and Hackney, before retiring to live in Oxford.
Her legal training encouraged her to seek original evidence, rather than rely on other peoples' research. This she sa...more
More about Liza Picard...
Her legal training encouraged her to seek original evidence, rather than rely on other peoples' research. This she sa...more
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18 déc. 10:26
There's a little bit about it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?...more
updated 18 déc. 13:37