Bread Winner


Book Description

The overlooked story of how ordinary women and their husbands managed financially in the Victorian era – and why so many struggled despite increasing national prosperityNineteenth century Britain saw remarkable economic growth and a rise in real wages. But not everyone shared in the nation’s wealth. Unable to earn a sufficient income themselves, working-class women were reliant on the ‘breadwinner wage’ of their husbands. When income failed, or was denied or squandered by errant men, families could be plunged into desperate poverty from which there was no escape.Emma Griffin unlocks the homes of Victorian England to examine the lives – and finances – of the people who lived there. Drawing on over 600 working-class autobiographies, including more than 200 written by women, Bread Winner changes our understanding of daily life in Victorian Britain.










Publisher and Bookseller


Book Description

Vols. for 1871-76, 1913-14 include an extra number, The Christmas bookseller, separately paged and not included in the consecutive numbering of the regular series.







British Family Life, 1780–1914, Volume 2


Book Description

The five volumes of this collection focus on various aspects of family life. Drawing on rare printed sources and archival material, this collection will provide a balanced, contextualized picture of family life, during a period of intense social change. It will appeal to scholars of social history, gender studies and the long nineteenth century.




The Bookseller


Book Description




Alcohol in the British Isles from Roman Times to 1996


Book Description

With nearly 2,200 citations, this bibliography covers every aspect of the history of alcohol in the British Isles from types of beverages and industries to medicine, politics, and critics. Sources cited range from a 1770 study to 1996 titles and include works written by historians, sociologists, political scientists, anthropologists, and archaeologists. In addition to books and articles, the volume lists unpublished manuscripts, essays in edited works, Ph.D. dissertations, and M.A. theses. Annotations provide information about a work's thesis or theme, use of primary materials, relationship to other studies, and also give a critical evaluation and the location of rare materials. Though scholarly studies form the core of the book, works that use some primary sources such as autobiographies, diaries and memoirs are also included. The material is arranged topically. Initial chapters are devoted to specific beverages, including beer, wine, whisky, and cider, and the malt and hops industries. Chapters then cover key subjects such as advertising, consumption trends, science and technology, politics, drinking establishments, regulation, crime, medicine, tokens, inn signs, temperance, and guilds. The final chapter identifies works on or by key figures, starting with biographies.