Hello, friends. Today is April Fool's Day and I feel a certain amount of not-so-subtle cultural pressure to write a gag post. I believe I ought to document a Shocking Truth about the Victorians, or similar, which I later reveal as - surprise! - a prank. Joke's on you, sssssuckers. However, I've always felt a strange resentment of April Fool's jokes and, for that matter, practical jokes in … [Read more...]
The Berners Street Hoax
Hello, friends. Many of you know that I love Judith Flanders's work. She writes marvellously detailed social histories and her special area interest is the Victorian period. I highly recommend both The Victorian House and Consuming Passions for anyone interested in Victorian daily life, and The Invention of Murder is irresistible for those, like me, who love mysteries and detective fiction. … [Read more...]