Subtitle: A Short History of Private Life

Listened to this as an audiobook and enjoyed it very much.

I was reading A History of the World in 6 Glasses at the same time, and it was interesting to see where the two books overlapped.

This may go into the Biographies of Things box if there isn't already a copy in there when it arrives!

Headed out in MaryZee's Biographies of Things box.

This book was set free to find a new reader; I'm so glad you've found it!

Free your books - help spread the words!

I'm taking this book from MaryZee's Biographies of Things bookbox. Was delighted to find this in the box because it's one of the few Bryson books I haven't read yet - wahoo!

Later: An entertaining historical overview, kicking off from various rooms in Bryson's country house (a former rectory) and dodging across centuries and around the world via the various connections. (I also enjoyed the "Maxine" calendar/comic tucked among the pages!) Architects and inventors, rascals and heroes, and some very surprising origins for common household elements - if only my last history class had used such colorful elements! For example, the chapter on the bedroom opens with a discussion of (duh!) beds - the history of which is interesting in its own right - and then shifts to Things One Does In Bed, such as sex, and from there to STDs and childbirth, and finally to death. Not quite the "nice cozy bedroom" scenario I'd imagined at the opening of the chapter, but intriguing nonetheless!

The illustrations enhance the story (the one by Gustave Dore showing the gritty back streets of 19th-century London was especially evocative). And the bibliography could serve as a wonderful wishlist for further reading.

[The audiobook version of this, narrated by Bryson himself, is also very good.]

I'm adding this book to the Anything But Romance shrinking bookbox, which will be on its way to keno-mom shortly. Hope someone enjoys it!

Love Bryson and this one had been on the wishlist for a while, so I was excited to find it in the book box. Peeked at the earlier entries and notice this briefly spent time in the Biographies of Things Book Box that MaryZee had done. Just this morning I received word from her family that they have read the books in the box that interest them and have copied the pages of the journal to keep, and now they will send the box back to me to keep it moving in her memory. I am unlikely to have it read in time to go out in the next round, but will just that much more excited to read it because of the connection to Mary. Thanks for passing it along, hyphen8 and Gory!

An interesting tour of private life via a tour of Bryson's home in England. Covers everything from how people started living in homes, the advent of electricity and telephones, how poisonous wallpaper once was, the concept of childhood, to the history of home decorating, and the wonders of indoor plumbing. As much as I enjoyed it (and I did), I tend to get so excited about learning all these lovely new facts and then they all jumble together in my head and I can't remember them later like I think I will. Perhaps if I read it more slowly I would have absorbed more.

I shall take this along to the next meet-up where someone is bound to be interested in it.

"A book is a mysterious object, I said, and once it floats out into the world, anything can happen. All kinds of mischief can be caused, and there's not a damned thing you can do about it. For better or worse, it's completely out of your control." -- Paul Auster

Taking this with me to meet-up in hopes that someone else will take it home with them.

Picked up today at a BC-in-DC meeting in Alexandria!