Synopses & Reviews
Why did the flushing toilet take two centuries to catch on? Why did Samuel Pepys never give his mistresses an orgasm? Why did medieval people sleep sitting up? When were the two "dirty centuries"? Why did gas lighting cause Victorian ladies to faint? Why, for centuries, did people fear fruit? All these questions will be answered in this juicy, smelly, and truly intimate history of home life. Lucy Worsley takes us through the bedroom, bathroom, living room, and kitchen, covering the architectural history of each room, but concentrating on what people actually did in bed, in the bath, at the table, and at the stove. From sauce-stirring to breast-feeding, teeth-cleaning to masturbation, getting dressed to getting married, this book will make you see your home with new eyes.
Praise for If Walls Could Talk:
"Dr. Lucy Worsley charts the evolution of the British home … It's a fascinating journey."-Daily Mail (UK )
"Anecdotes, jokes and fascinating facts come thick and fast … Worsley's eye for quirky detail is so compelling you quickly find yourself gripped by the most unlikely subjects."-Mail on Sunday (UK )
"Saucy intimacies and salacious secrets … I was glued."-Country Life (UK )
Synopsis
“Worsley is a thoughtful, charming, often hilarious guide to life as it was lived, from the mundane to the esoteric.” —The Boston Globe
Synopsis
Why did the flushing toilet take two centuries to catch on? Why did medieval people sleep sitting up? When were the two “dirty centuries”? Why, for centuries, did rich people fear fruit?
In her brilliantly and creatively researched book, Lucy Worsley takes us through the bedroom, bathroom, living room, and kitchen, covering the history of each room and exploring what people actually did in bed, in the bath, at the table, and at the stove—from sauce stirring to breast-feeding, teeth cleaning to masturbating, getting dressed to getting married—providing a compelling account of how the four rooms of the home have evolved from medieval times to today, charting revolutionary changes in society.
About the Author
Lucy Worsley is Chief Curator at Historic Royal Palaces, the independent charity that looks after the Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace, Kensington Palace State Apartments, the Banqueting House in Whitehall, and Kew Palace in Kew Gardens. The author of The Courtiers: Splendor and Intrigue in the Georgian Court at Kensington Palace and Cavalier: A Tale of Chivalry, Passion, and Great Houses, she lives in London.