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Amazon.co.uk Review
Mrs Beeton was the Delia Smith of her day. Vastly popular in its time, her great Book of Household Management is scarcely read nowadays in its original form (no offence, Delia). This is a pity, since as a result a distorted picture of the author and her work persists, as an oppressive Victorian materfamilias with a decidedly bossy attitude and a tendency to boil vegetables to a grey pulp. The truth, as Nicola Humble demonstrates in her abridgement of the work for the Oxford press, is quite different. Isabella Beeton was in many ways an unusual person. One of 21 children, she lived for part of her childhood in the grandstand at Epsom racecourse, married Sam Beeton, an ambitious young publisher, worked hard as a journalist and translator, and died of puerperal fever (not, sadly, such an unusual fate in her time) at the age of 28. The Book of Household Management grew out of her own sense, as a new bride, of the lack of such a work of instruction and guidance for young women faced with the daunting business of running a home. It is largely a compilation rather than an original work. Its originality lies in its organisation and purpose; its quality arises from the clarity and decisiveness of Beeton's writing. Behind the period details, there is a wealth of common sense.
Nicola Humble provides a scholarly introduction and notes. Gesturing towards academic fashions, she describes the many facets of the book in terms of modes of discourse--which is perhaps a highfalutin way of pointing out the remarkable range of subject matter and the variety of Beeton's sources. The notes entertainingly combine theoretical commentary with often deadpan remarks on the recipes ("Rock biscuits: so-called for their appearance, not their texture"). The recipes themselves are the principal victims of the abridgement, for Nicola Humble's main aim is to present the book as a kind of exhaustive self-portrait of the expanding and aspirational Victorian middle classes. The representative selection that remains, however, are enough to make this a welcome reissue of a fascinating and important book. --Robin Davidson
Review
sold out in Central London book shops within weeks (Red, August 2000 )
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
As with the COMMANDER OF AN ARMY, or the leader of any enterprise, so is it with the mistress of a house. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
As with the COMMANDER OF AN ARMY, or the leader of any enterprise, so is it with the mistress of a house. Read the first page
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Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
111 of 112 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The vast majority of people assume they are familiar with 'Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management', but those expecting stuffy moralising and instructions to 'first go out and catch your hare' will be disappointed by what they find in Nichola humble's new edition, and probably rightfully so. Written by a comparatively naive girl in her early twenties, who was to die in childbirth a few years later, Beeton's book provides an unparalleled insight into Victorian social customs and domestic situations. It does not so much detail how our ancestors lived and behaved, as how they wanted to be seen to live and behave. In short this book is a vast compendium of social mores, detailing the ins and outs of a wealthy, aspirational society. Though Beeton's book provides a wealth of recipes, these are not her sole concern. The book details codes of conduct in every imaginable social situation, and gives instruction in case of a medical or legal emergencies. Advice to the mistress of the house on how to control servants is placed next to confidential advice to the servants themselves: this is indeed a book aimed at all levels of society. The recipes themselves are a startling mix, as they seem at one moment utterly modern, then at the next evoke a rural british society which was vanishing even as Beeton wrote, in the middle of the nineteenth century. They are also a charming reminder of the fact that the author was neither an experienced nor a professed cook: she frequently omits cooking times and quantities of ingredients! Finally, I would like to mention how important a modern, edited edition of Beeton's book is. The market is swamped with spurious works, such as 'Microwaving with Mrs. Beeton', an example Nichola Humble quotes in her introduction. Seemingly 'original' editions of the book, dating from the late 1800's, are in fact just as unreliable, having been altered almost unrecognisably by Beeton's publishers after her death. This edition is, I believe, the only affordable, available, reliable reproduction of Beeton's vast, encyclopaedic study of Victorian morals, culture and society. It should be read by anyone with an interest in the period, from the advanced student, to the casual reader.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition
(This is not a comment on the content of the book, just the format) - Like other Kindle reviewers have said, this is just the free copy, so no investment whatever has gone into making it usable by Amazon. (I have actually seen this happen a couple of times with their free, i.e. out of copyright, ebooks.) I would look elsewhere on the net for a better version - there are loads of sites that distribute out of copyright books with much more precise formatting. I think this may be a mistaken strategy on the part of Amazon - surely the goal is to get people in the habit of using them as a trusted ebook supplier, whether for freebies or otherwise...
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management was the housekeeping bible of the mid-19th century. It was written by one woman, Isabella Beeton, who didn't realize the enormity of her undertaking until after the book was finished. This guide covers all of the most important information for a housewife of the 1800's, from cooking to hiring the help. There is a section on child-rearing, practical home remedies, (including antidotes for various poisons!)cleaning the home and every popular recipe from that time period. Despite the changes in our views of keeping household staff, medicine and eating habits, the book is a remarkable work. It is a must for anyone studying Victoriana, as it demonstrates the rigidity of that time period and the unwavering etiquette. The recipes are difficult to replicate, due to the lack of familiar measurements (one breakfast cupful of milk?)but if you have a adventurous soul, this may be enjoyable. Some of the ingredients are also difficult to find, and an acceptable solution may not be easy.
Read The Book of Household Managemen for it's historical value rather than for it's practical information and it will be an adventure.
The Book of Household Management
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Great value
A very interesting read, great value for free, download was easy and instant for my iPad ! Will keep my eye open for more great deals
Published 7 days ago by Sar10
A gem of a book just NOT this specific kindle version
Due to the lack of searchable index, navigation around this specific Kindle book is abysmal to say the least. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Andy
valuable and informative
not just a cookery book, although most of her work was actually stolen, from aliza acton, it is still a fascinating read. Read more
Published 5 months ago by libby_black
A Wonderful Book
This book is a real gem, an insight into Victorian middle-class society as they wanted to think they were interspersed with recipes and genuinely useful household tips. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Rebecca /Liz
kindle edition worse than useless
No index, search is terrible (it's not fully indexed), scanned in a manner that makes it incomprehensible and unreadable. Read more
Published 15 months ago by J. Porjes
Old Fashioned and so cool!
This is SO interesting to read! tons of tips on house management although for this day and age of eating on the run and no family time, this was quite a book to browse through. Read more
Published 16 months ago by A Keats Fan
Kindle version virtually unusable - get a hard copy
Please be aware that:
1) This review is only relevant for the Kindle version of this book and
2) Normally I don't review anything I haven't read in its entirety - I... Read more
1) This review is only relevant for the Kindle version of this book and
2) Normally I don't review anything I haven't read in its entirety - I... Read more
Published 16 months ago by J. A. Clement
One of the funniest books i have read for ages
Well, this certainly cheered me up from the language to the social commentary of what seems like a byegone age now. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Cosmichumbug
Superbly entertaining
Beeton's book of household management was an immediate bestseller when it was first published in 1861, it was THE definitive all round household bible that the Lady of the house... Read more
Published 20 months ago by M. L. Richings
Still best for basics
No pretty photos and no silly language. Just reliable recipes that i still use, and enjoyable notes about impractical stuff like hiring and firing a kitchen maid. Love it.
Published on 31 Oct 2008 by Kitchen megillahs
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