All around the mulberry bush

The monkey chased the weasel.

The monkey thought it was all in fun,

Pop! goes the weasel.

A penny for a spool of thread,

A penny for a needle,

That’s the way the money goes.

Pop! goes the weasel.

But then I got thinking about the British version, which is the one my husband grew up singing:

Half a pound of tuppenny rice,

Half a pound of treacle.

That’s the way the money goes,

Pop! goes the weasel.

Up and down the City Road,

In and out the Eagle,

That’s the way the money goes,

Pop! goes the weasel.

If you’re as history-obsessed as I am, you will found yourself looking for meaning even in traditional children’s songs. The explanation I like best involves, coincidentally, the Victorian period. If you know that “pop” is a slang term for “to pawn” and that “weasel” is Cockney rhyming slang for “coat”, then the lyrics suddenly make sense. This isn’t just an odd little nursery rhyme featuring lively weasels; it’s about grinding urban poverty. Go ahead, check it out!

This grittiness makes me like the song even more. How about you?

This is a reader’s choice award for ages 11-15, it’s linked to a great reading-promotion program in Ontario schools, and the whole thing culminates in a 2-day gala at the Harbourfront Centre in Toronto. The craziest part, though? Being in the company of writers I think of as superstars, like Kelley Armstrong. And Gordon Korman, for crying out loud, whose work I loved as a kid. Plus, there are writers on the shortlist whose work I don’t know, but am really looking forward to discovering (click here for full shortlist). It’s all a bit dizzying.

But enough diva-ish fluttering. There are thousands of resources, both print and online, that I used when writing the Agency books. This is because my research began long before I thought of writing a novel, back when I was working on a PhD thesis in Victorian literature and culture. And that’s the beautiful, maddening, addictive thing about research: you start in one place and end up light years away, with pages upon pages of facts and anecdotes that probably won’t make it into the finished work. And it doesn’t matter, because you’re the richer for having read them. It’s brilliant.

But it’s also a pretty unhelpful thing to say here. But there are some books and sites that I go back to very regularly, and those are the ones I’ll share here today. Without further ado:

Online Resources (no particular order)

I adore Lee Jackson’s Dictionary of Victorian London, a compilation of primary sources (that is, sources from the Victorian era). It’s addictive reading; I dare you not to spend four times as long there as you’d intended. Don’t miss the “Flash Dictionary” of slang!

The Old Bailey Online archives the proceedings of London’s central criminal court, from 1674-1913. Again, utterly addictive and a fantastic window into Victorian crime. My friend John Nicholls first told me about to the site. Thanks, John!

The Times Archive is just that – a searchable archive of every article published in that newspaper, from its launch in 1785. You have to pay for access, unless you belong to an institution (eg, university) that subscribes.

The Victorian Peeper (I know – sounds vaguely rude) is an truly wonderful blog written by Kristan Tetens, “a historian of nineteenth-century Britain based in twenty-first century America”. It’s an endless delight and offers links to previously unknown sources, such as the one below.

Hidden Lives Revealed is a sometimes heartbreaking archive of case files and photographs of orphans at the Children’s Society, 1881-1918. The photographs are particularly illuminating.

The Victorian Web is an academic site with about 40,000 short articles on the Victorian period. Many of these were written by Brown University undergraduates and some aren’t 100% reliable, but it’s a terrific starting point and most of the essays have a partial bibliography for further research.

Print Resources (alphabetical by surname)

Ackroyd, Peter. London: The Biography. 2001. An authoritative history of the city.

Flanders, Judith. Consuming Passions: Leisure and Pleasure in Victorian Britain. 2007. Wonderful social history and a window into real people’s lives.

—. The Victorian House: Domestic Life from Childbirth to Deathbed. 2004. You wouldn’t think a book about domestic life could be gripping, but this is. One of my favourite non-fiction books, period.

Picard, Liza. Victorian London. 2005. A lively general overview, but if you’re already deep into the era, you can skip this one.

Ross, Ellen, ed. Slum Travellers: Ladies and London Poverty, 1860-1920. 2007. Letters and reports from reform-minded ladies of the period. Great for contemporary flavour.

Smith, Stephen. Underground London: Travels Beneath the City Streets. 2004. Useful chapter on Victorian burial practices.

Sweet, Matthew. Inventing the Victorians. 2002. Debunks a lot of tenacious myths about Victorian culture and morals.

Tomalin, Claire. The Invisible Woman: The Story of Nelly Ternan and Charles Dickens. 1990. Definitive biography of Dickens’s long-time mistress. It’s also a sparkling social history and portrait of theatrical life.

Wilson, A.N. The Victorians. 2002. Authoritative, sometimes infuriating, interesting.

Wilson, Bee. Swindled: From Poison Sweets to Counterfeit Coffee – The Dark History of the Food Cheats. 2008. Gripping stuff – the chapters on “food adulteration” are wonderfully, horribly vivid.

This is a longish blog post but a very short bibliography. Don’t forget the goldmine at the back of nearly each of these books: the notes and bibliography, which will lead you in all kinds of wild new directions. I hope you have a blast!

Then, Booksmuggler Thea reviews Body, calling it “another winning, impeccably well-written historical mystery”. Huzzah!

Thanks so much for joining me on this blog tour. Regularly scheduled blogging returns on Thursday, when I continue my English adventures. See you then!

And over at Teenreads, I’m dispensing bad advice. Ever wondered How Not to Be a Writer? I’ve got tips for you!

Fortunately, it’s not all about me. The Body at the Tower blog tour is at Steph Su Reads today, where I guest-post about Notorious Victorian Joseph Merrick – aka the Elephant Man – and the way he used celebrity as a survival strategy. His is a tragic but also smart and fascinating story.

Steph then reviews Body: “damn if the pages didn’t nearly catch on fire…” *evil cackle from smug author*

There is no real-world launch party today, but stay in touch: I’m planning an online launch party in September. Details to follow.

And now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to celebrate.

Mariah also reviews Body. As she warns, you’re in for “slight spoilers for first book. And possibly some fangirling.”

I’ll see you tomorrow – which is, by the way, the OFFICIAL PUB DATE for Body! – at Steph Su Reads with part 2 of Victorian Celebrities.

Kristi at the Story Siren also reviews Body, giving it 5 stars! She praises its “Spectacular characters… superb writing… awesome storyline. It’s easy to read, fun and just plain ole’ entertaining. I can’t wait for another adventure with Mary in book three!” I’m thrilled to hear it.

I’m also chatting with Sara at the Hiding Spot, where we discuss favourite scenes, novels, and words. Right now, mine’s “quiddity”. What’s yours?

1) A family funeral,

2) The wedding of a dear friend, and

3) My first meeting with a nephew who was born last year.

Being confronted with Major Life Events always makes me reel, but don’t worry – I’m not going to wax overly philosophical. What struck me this evening is how very Victorian this triad of events is, yet how much our expectations have evolved over a century.

The nineteenth century was an age of high infant mortality, lower life expectancy, contagious diseases, and relatively primitive medical care. As a result, death was a frequent and familiar sort of terror. A Victorian person of my age would likely have known multiple deaths within her family and circle of friends, through both accident and illness. I’m downright insulated in comparison, something I never think of without a shiver of relief.

Marriage is still an important rite of passage but once again, it’s changed so much. Women and men think hard about whether they want to marry, and whom. They create and dissolve contracts as they choose. And the word “spinster” is seldom heard anymore, except in legal documents. Much as we agonize about relationships, they’re so easy now because we have such freedom of choice. In contrast, when a young Victorian woman entered into marriage, she was transferred from the legal power of her father to that of her husband. She couldn’t own property in her own name, until 1882. And if her husband was abusive or negligent, it was extremely difficult for her to obtain a divorce.

Childbirth is incredibly safe, in the year 2010. In affluent countries, maternal death in childbirth is rare. Newborns generally live. And when babies are born ill, our first question is, “How can we heal them?” rather than, “Will they live?” Once born, we expect healthy babies to thrive; the first year is no longer a gamble.

So while I’m feeling bruised by this sudden confluence of turning points, I’ve got nothing on the Victorians.

This week in reviews:

The first blog review for The Body at the Tower is up! Librarian Jennifer Rummel (aka YA Book Nerd) says, “I ADORE this series… I just want MORE (and quickly!).” Body will be published in the US/Canada by Candlewick on August 10, and in the UK by Walker Books on 6 September.

This is, appropriately enough, a week of both endings and beginnings. My final stop in the T2T blog tour is at Ticket to Anywhere, where I guest-blog about that most Victorian of fashion items: the corset. True or false? Prince Albert wore one. Also, blog host Irish reviews Spy and gives it four stars for being “hard to put down”. Hurray!

I’ve been busy elsewhere, too. Shades of Romance Magazine interviewed me and I talked about Things I Learned at My Book Launch Party at BookLounge.

On Tuesday, I had my first, real-life confirmation that I’m not, in fact, hallucinating everything: while driving from Toronto to Kingston, I stopped in Belleville for a coffee at the Organic Underground and a sly little mission to Greenley’s Book Store, a gem of an indie. And there it was.

Does this ever become a routine and ho-hum experience? I certainly hope not.

I’ve just finished reading Philip Hensher’s The Mulberry Empire and am still recovering from the experience. It’s a swaggering, playful, beautifully postmodern (as opposed to annoyingly, pretentiously postmodern) homage to the Victorian three-volume novel; it’s a joke about Boy’s Own Adventures; it is MAGNIFICENT. Please, please, read it and come back to discuss.

I received an ARC of Lisa Mantchev’s Perchance to Dream in the mail this week. Huzzah! I thought Eyes Like Stars was terrific – so much so that I’m going to save PtD until I’ve finished my own book 3 in a few weeks. Not only will it be a delicious treat, but I won’t be tempted to write obnoxious fairies into my own novel in an insane act of homage.

Finally, a lot of new and lovely reviews of Spy are popping up everywhere – hurray again! I’ve included snippets below, with links where available.

The trade publications:

“Woven throughout the cloak-and-dagger play is plenty of flirtatious repartee, and even the most perilous of adventures is leavened with a comic edge that winks at the mystery genre.” Bulletin of the Centre for Children’s Books

“Historical details are woven seamlessly into the plot, and descriptive writing allows readers to be part of each scene.” School Library Journal

The bloggers:

Susan of Readspace, a diehard mystery fan, is “thrilled that this series is being published for young adults.  Unlike adult fiction, there are few high quality true mysteries to offer teens… In my opinion, this could just as easily been picked up by an adult mystery imprint, that’s how good it is.”

Kelly Peres of Midnight Glance was initially suspicious, but I converted her! She admits, “I went in with a closed mind on the topic, but I have to say Y.S. Lee captivated me from the first chapter to the end.”

A Patchwork of Books calls it “a brilliantly addictive plot filled with twists and turns, as well as high fashion, old money, and handsome gentlemen… If you’re a fan of The Luxe or just a lover of good mysteries or historical fiction, this is a fantastic choice.”

The Passionate Booklover “really loved this captivating tale and I wanted to read more about Mary and her fascinating adventures!”

The Unread Book says, “The story twists and turns and every time you think you have figured it out Lee throws you another curveball.”

Milk and Cookies calls it “a great new series to look forward to!”

I’d call that a great – and full – week. And now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a novel to write. See you next Thursday!

Rebecca Herman of Rebecca’s Book Blog was one of the first book bloggers to notice Spy when the British edition was first published in 2009. You can check out our interview here – a first for both of us, I think! Today, I’m delighted to be Rebecca’s guest once again and I’m talking about the Victorian uber-drug, opium. It wasn’t just for the hookah-smoking avant-garde…