This is a book we have at work that might boss thought I might like as it was less racist than a lot of the books on China that we hold. Written in 18This is a book we have at work that might boss thought I might like as it was less racist than a lot of the books on China that we hold. Written in 1814 before the opium wars there was indeed a lot less racism than some, but it was also pretty bad. The most disappointing caption was on the bookseller. Unlike the UK which didn't have mass printing in 1814 the writer was totally dismissive of Chinese books saying they had no literature, their plays inferior to Greece, and only wrote about their own history and Confucius. It was clear he wasn't able to read Chinese or know any of the books or he wouldn't have said that. He also complained about footbinding every time he showed a picture of a woman, including the manchu women who didn't actually bind their feet but wore shoes that mimicked footbinding. But clearly they hadn't told him that. The pictures are quite interesting though some of the faces look quite westernised. It was interesting enough to look through while the internet was down at work yesterday. ...more
I found this at work when trying to see what we had for books to do the Halloween blog about. It stated the beginning that superstition was anything tI found this at work when trying to see what we had for books to do the Halloween blog about. It stated the beginning that superstition was anything that wasn't the true belief of Christianity. But after that it tended to mostly ignore preaching. The start had some very interesting fairy beliefs, but they weren't gone into as much detail as I hoped. Still there was a lot of interesting beliefs and practices that got mentioned and it would be a lovely source book for someone wanting to write a spooky, magical story. ...more
Well this was a rather interesting find from a book sellers list at work. A mid 19th century book using SCIENCE to explain how eye and optical illusions work, to dispel the myths of the gullible who believe they see ghosts when they see optical illusions. The book comes with about 15 different cute supernatural spooky illustrations (very much like kids Halloween illustrations today) at which you are supposed to stare and then stare at the wall to see the shape as a spectre. It's pretty adorable, though credited as works of the creator so religious rather true science but still pretty fun....more
This has some of the most beautiful black and white pictures of London that I've ever seen. They are all dark and stark, full of crowds of people huddThis has some of the most beautiful black and white pictures of London that I've ever seen. They are all dark and stark, full of crowds of people huddling in the streets. It's a London that's easily recognisable, for all that it's over a hundred years old. The essays are odder and not as easy to relate to. It's hard to say whether she likes London for the things she is describing or hates it. But they are intriguing and if I had more time I would spend with them and try and figure them out.
I can across a reference to this book in a magazine, and found that my work had a copy and had to get it out of the store. The original pictures are even better than the reproductions, with so much detail in the illustrations. It's definitely worth looking at. ...more
I randomly found this Victorian book at work about one of my favourite London pubs! It was great to see all the old illustrations and realise how littI randomly found this Victorian book at work about one of my favourite London pubs! It was great to see all the old illustrations and realise how little had changed about the place. There weren't quite enough stories, and more quotes than necessary about the quality of the food. But still a very interesting find....more
One of the central books for our exhibition at work. It covers what Victorians thought they knew about Roman archaeology and some very interesting stoOne of the central books for our exhibition at work. It covers what Victorians thought they knew about Roman archaeology and some very interesting stories about later interpretations of mythology. Including a story I'd never heard about Goddesses being seen in Evesham (where I went to high school) and it being interpreted as being Mary and two angels. It has lovely illustrations and is still a great book....more
Booth's enquiry into the lives of people in London was a huge social research undertaking unlike anything done previously. Most people interested in tBooth's enquiry into the lives of people in London was a huge social research undertaking unlike anything done previously. Most people interested in the history of Victorian London are very familiar with his map illustrating the social standing of people on different streets, less so the books that go with it. His Life and Labour series ended up being 17 volumes! This was the last one and a very good way to cheat and not have to read the whole thing! Here is neatly summarised the previous 16 volumes of work. He talks about the major social issues affecting London and possible solutions for the future. I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in the history of London. It can be a tad dry and judgemental, but still worth reading. The second half of the final volume is a summary of every part of the previous volumes, very handy overview, and reference for people who are just wanting a specific bit of information found in one of the previous volumes, such as a type of work or religion. Definitely a very useful read....more
This was an interesting collection of Irish folklore. Originally published in 1825 this book is actually part II but was able to read it on its own. TThis was an interesting collection of Irish folklore. Originally published in 1825 this book is actually part II but was able to read it on its own. The book was divided into different topics, merpeople, headless people, red caps, treasure and stones. I found different sections of varying interest. The mer-people stories I liked the best. They were pretty humourous with men either marrying merwomen or drinking with the mermen. The headless people started really well with a man chasing after a woman who had no head and then had a wonderful scene in a graveyard. The rest of the stories focused on headless horses which I didn't find as interesting. The redcap stories were all fairly interesting. The treasure and the stones/buildings not quite so interesting. The author told the tale and then related it to other tales in different cultures or other Irish versions of the same stories. It was nice to read pre-Victorian folktales as they hadn't been cleaned up or presented for children but were the original tales in all their strangeness....more
Shen Fu's Six records of a Floating Life is too short! Granted two chapters have gone missing since it was written in 1806 I wish there was more. I loShen Fu's Six records of a Floating Life is too short! Granted two chapters have gone missing since it was written in 1806 I wish there was more. I loved it so much. Well all except the bit about flower arranging and landscaping though I could understand why it was in there. It was a very touching autobiography of the life of a man livining in late 18th Century China who was usually broke but sometimes worked for the government, sometimes as an art dealer, but mostly just sat drinking with his wife and his friends discussing the finer things in life.
I loved reading about his drinking escapades, he did seem to be a bit of a drunk. Frequently talking about pawning items to buy wine. How being able to buy wine for entertaining your friends was the only reason you needed money. I liked the comment his wife made one time when he returned and she said, "are you very drunk again?"
She was by far the best part of the book. I do believe the woman had a little bit of a bisexual side. To start with there was the reference to her two best friends who used to sleep over and kick her husband out of her bed. Then she got in trouble with her husbands family for being a sworn sister of a sing-song girl. She was trying to get the girl to be a concubine for her husband but admitted she was really doing it because she was in love with the girl herself. The girl ended up being married to someone who had a great deal of money and his wife died of a broken heart. She also wrote poetry and loved old books. Fu talked about how she would collect old books and take them apart and have them rebound and how she did the same for calligraphy. Oh what a lovely hobby! (Particularly as the books were old in the late 18th century in China). And then there was the time Fu convinced her to dress up like a man so she could sneak into the temple for the festival. She had to practice walking as a man, and managed to pull it off until she went over to chat to a group of women and accidentally touched one and got in trouble till she revealed her true identity. Fu wished she'd been born a man so they could go traveling together, but alas she never lived that long. They decided that in their next life she would get to be born the man and he the woman. It was all terribly romantic and tragic.
Fu also wrote lovely descriptions of his visits around China. My favourite was when he went to Canton and visited the brothels there. He complained that none of the women understood him and they all looked strange. Eventually he found a boat that catered to Northern tastes and upon finding a woman he liked his first thought was, "oh I wish my wife were here". He stayed with the prostitute for 4 months, he was very proud how little it cost him, and how well he treated her. But at the end he left he said the madam was too pushy, but I think the real reason was he just didn't have the money to pay for her. (He was perpetually broke). It was quite touching how he described the hard lives of the boat women. However this didn't stop him from abandoning his favourite, or doing anything to help her once he found out she had attempted suicide several times since he left.
It was a lovely book. Romantic, decadent and holding a true appreciation for nature and beauty...and wine. ...more
This may be the first autobiography of an actor I've read whose not been in Doctor Who! From those autobiographies I have determined they tend to be oThis may be the first autobiography of an actor I've read whose not been in Doctor Who! From those autobiographies I have determined they tend to be of two types. The first talks almost entirely about their work, what they did and when with amusing stories about some of their colleagues (Lis Sladen and John Leeson) whereas the other type talks much more personally about the struggles in their lives, tragedy or mental health issues (Tom Baker, Anneke Wills, Jacqueline Pearce). Ellen Terry's autobiography was definitely the first type! At one point she mentioned retiring from the stage for 6 years to live in the countryside with her children but who she got these children was a total mystery! It could have been an immaculate conception and I found myself having to go to the Internet to find out who the father was and how long they lived together and why it had been such a scandal.
The lack of personal detail is quite sad but it was still a very interesting book. To read about Victorian times from a current perspective was fascinating. I learned a lot about theatre in the 19th century, how and what plays were performed, what an actor's life was like as well as little glimpses of some of the major players of the day.
I found a lovely 1907 edition of this at the oxfam and it was lovely to read it that way. It was also full of the most gorgeous photos of Ellen in all her costumes. At the end was a picture of her older at her desk which was a lovely contrast. Definitely one I'd recommend. ...more
I found this book in the second hand shop across from the British Museum. I read it a few months ago, and I’m afraid my memories of it are already a bI found this book in the second hand shop across from the British Museum. I read it a few months ago, and I’m afraid my memories of it are already a bit hazy. This book is a series of lectures De Groot, a Sinologist and former missionary, gave in America as part of a series looking at world religions. I had rather low expectations for this book. De Groot was writing in 1912 and most works written at this time tend to have a very low and often confused opinion on Chinese religion. However, this book pleasantly surprised me. De Groot previously wrote a series of books on Chinese religion and rites, these books are based on the (questionable in my opinion) idea that Chinese religion is simply animistic in outlook. However, the series contains a lot of first hand information and Qing sources that are unavailable elsewhere. De Groot gives his own translation as well as the original Chinese, and references where he is quoting. They contain wonderful stories of ghosts and supernatural. This book didn’t contain nearly as many nice stories but rather focused on the philosophy, religious practices and beliefs. What was remarkable for the time was the equal attention given to Taoism and Confucianism. At this time Taoism was largely ignored as the superstitions of the ignorant and given very little serious attention by Westerners. However, De Groot does a decent job of linking together Taoist and Confucian beliefs. He looks briefly at the influence of Buddhism on Chinese belief, but mostly is concerned with the two indigenous systems of belief, which he claims are really the same. De Groot first looks at the unifying nature of the Tao as the nature of the universe and then as the Tao of man. He looks at the virtues associated with Confucianism, and then looks at the history of the search for immortality. He goes on to look at not just the religion of the Emperor and the elite but also of the people, he discusses Filial piety, the creation of the Taoist church, exorcism, magic, and the religious duty of the Emperor. The fact that he doesn’t limit himself to “high” or “low” religion, but looks at all religion equally helps him to see the unifying principals behind them. He ends the book with a look at Feng Shui, relating the principles that he has noted in the study of religion to the workings of geomancy. While I would caution people to not take everything in this book as accurate, it is still quite interesting and a very enjoyable read....more
This is a marvelous collection of folklore. It contains everything from stories about mysterious places, to festivals, ghost stories, and superstitionThis is a marvelous collection of folklore. It contains everything from stories about mysterious places, to festivals, ghost stories, and superstitions. It drew mainly on Victorian sources and it was surprising to see how much had changed in the intervening years. It was the kind of book you'd use for occult research if you were interested in the history of beliefs about a particular place, with a great list of old sources to check and learn more. I really enjoyed reading about all the events that happened at Whitby, because I've been there several times. It made me want to get the other volumes, particularly of the places I grew up and learn more about the history of those places. I got the 1909 version from work, a lovely old binding, that was going to be pulped. I'm glad I was able to save it....more
In 2004 I read Siamese Harem Life, the second book written by Anna Leonowens about her life in Siam and loved it. That book, which is largely considerIn 2004 I read Siamese Harem Life, the second book written by Anna Leonowens about her life in Siam and loved it. That book, which is largely considered to be almost entirely fictional, nevertheless told a story focusing entirely on the role of women in the court. Leonowens was able to focus on issues that were interesting, whether or not her examples were real or not. I enjoyed it greatly. Unfortunately the same cannot be said for this book. It’s the first book in a long time that I decided not to bother finishing. I read about two thirds and just couldn’t bring myself to finish it with so many other books waiting to be read on my bookshelf. I’m not sure why I enjoyed one so much and didn’t care for this one at all. In the intervening three years I have learned a great deal about travel writing but I think the difference is greater than this. The issues in Siamese Harem Life seemed more real, the stories more cohesive and the author a lot less judgemental. In this book the chapters were very short and jumped all over the place. The author came across as terribly judgemental, and I found myself not liking her at all. I felt like I was wasting my time reading it, learning nothing much about Siam or the colonisers. So I stopped. I may go back to it at some point. But not for a while, it was very disappointing....more
While it was a little slow I did enjoy this book. It had some rather enjoyable characters and was very atmospheric. There was a doctor who recommendedWhile it was a little slow I did enjoy this book. It had some rather enjoyable characters and was very atmospheric. There was a doctor who recommended to the young girl that she read, "Confessions of an Opium Eater" which I took to be very good advice and promptly read while finishing. I did feel sorry for the French nurse who just wanted to drink and tell ghost stories. And I found the end to be quite surprising. Enjoyable, but I'm not sure I'll rush out to read any of his other novels....more
This book was excellent. It starts like you're typical Jane Austen book, about a young middle class girl staying with her posh relatives and picking uThis book was excellent. It starts like you're typical Jane Austen book, about a young middle class girl staying with her posh relatives and picking up their judgemental habits and then having to actually face real life and tragedy among her family and friends. It was fantastic to see the young women characters tackle the important and tough issues of the day, such as industialisation and workers' strikes and care about the politics and economics of the world around her instead of simply whether or not she'd marry the handsome rich man. Margaret was great in many ways, she was forced into competence by coming from a rather incompetent (but sweet and tragic) family and while she didn't do a terrible amount was a person who wanted to have carefully considered opinions and took action when she thought it was needed. In many ways the book was the most religion of Gaskell's that I've read so far. The sweet dying factory girl was almost comical in her woe and longing to see heaven. And Margaret herself seemed to talk about God a bit too much for my liking, but it was God within reasonable bounds, and at the end fun was made of teetotalling hard nosed vicars. This book took me a very long time to read, just over 3 weeks, but it was enjoyable to spend so much time with these characters, to see their good and bad sides. It felt like one of the most realistic Victorian novels I'd read, despite the over the top melodramatics of parts of it. It was well worth the time spent. I am really enjoying the works of Mrs. Gaskell and shall keep reading them. My copy was a lovely pocket edition from 1895, with marbled boards, which cost me all of two pounds in Charing Cross road....more
It was quite easy to read, I realy enjoyed the naturalistic style, and the interplay in the some of the scenes, the seduction scene at the fair in parIt was quite easy to read, I realy enjoyed the naturalistic style, and the interplay in the some of the scenes, the seduction scene at the fair in particular. It did rather seem as if Flaubert was writing a novel about a woman from a novel who got stuck in real life, and as she was in real life and not a novel ended up suffering horrendously for it. I got the impression if she were in Jane Austen, or Thackery she would have enjoyed herself much more. As it was she was a woman in a time, without any freedom or hope. She also reminded me a little of what I dislike about "modern" women, with her obsession with fashion magazines, society and fashion. So I managed to quiet enjoy the book, without caring much about the characters in the story. It some ways it reminded me quite a bit of Hardy or Zola....more
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