I found the book to be nicely illustrated and fun to see all those forgotten ways of live in one cover. ( )

I'd prefer to give this book 3.5 stars, rather than 4. Although I ended up thinking very highly of the author and his research, I spent the first third of this book thinking it would be better titled " Forgotten Household Doohickeys". Richly illustrated with detailed, pen-and-ink drawings of seven* different types of chamber pots, 5 spinning wheels, 9 candle-making tools, etc., this book is a visual treat, as well as an educational one. The chapters covering food and cookery seem weaker than the later chapters on cleaning, washing, and other household tasks, which lead to my initial disappointment. The author has done his research--drawing from the Foxfire oral-history tradition, he bases much of the information in the book on discussions with people in his neighborhood (a British village) who used to use these tools or perform these tasks. Although I was expecting to learn more practical knowledge (how to do these crafts in a modern context) from reading this, this book would be very useful for students, novelists, or other researchers.

* All numbers in this review are entirely made up. ( )

Although I ended up thinking very highly of the author and his research, I spent the first third of this book thinking it would be better titled " Forgotten Household Doohickeys". Richly illustrated with detailed, pen-and-ink drawings of seven* different types of chamber pots, 5 spinning wheels, 9 candle-making tools, etc., this book is a visual treat, as well as an educational one. The chapters covering food and cookery seem weaker than the later chapters on cleaning, washing, and other household tasks, which lead to my initial disappointment. The author has done his research--drawing from the Foxfire oral-history tradition, he bases much of the information in the book on discussions with people in his neighborhood (a British village) who used to use these tools or perform these tasks. Although I was expecting to learn more practical knowledge (how to do these crafts in a modern context) from reading this, this book would be very useful for students, novelists, or other researchers.

* All numbers in this review are entirely made up. ( )

Purchased for Hallie for Xmas