Victorian History

On 23 March, 1844, General Tom Thumb, at 25 inches tall, entered the Picture Gallery at Buckingham Palace and bowed low to Queen Victoria. On both sides of the Atlantic, this meeting marked a tipping point in the 19th century - the age of the freak was born. Bewitching all levels of society, it was a world of astonishing spectacle - of dwarfs, giants, bearded ladies, Siamese twins and swaggering showmen - and one that has since inspired countless novels, films and musicals.

The Day the Tripods Came is a gripping collection of interconnected tales that reimagines H.G. Wells' classic The War of the Worlds through the eyes of ordinary people thrust into extraordinary circumstances. From a London clerk fleeing the devastation to an artilleryman's underground resistance, from a curate's crisis of faith to an astronomer's wife's scientific revelations, these stories weave a tapestry of human resilience in the face of cosmic horror. As Martian tripods lay waste to Victorian England, our heroes must confront not only the alien threat but also their own humanity. This ...

From the author of 'Crime and Punishment in Victorian Edinburgh', a day by day account of Edinburgh life and events in the Victorian period, giving a unique insight into the social history of this city across all classes. Giving a snapshot into Victorian life in Edinburgh, this book will take you through all the events, both good and bad, of a typical year within this era. The year which has been chosen is 1869, a year in which Edinburgh was leading the way in scientific and medical research, greatly enhancing the lives of many; whilst poverty, crime and destitution still blighted the lives...

John Ward was a self-taught artist, the son of a Master Mariner, who began his career apprenticed to a house and ship painter in Hull. Having completed his term by 1819, aged 21, he exhibited his first painting at the Royal Academy twelve years later. By the early 1840’s, he had begun to explore printmaking to produce ship portraits of local vessels and to gather material for a Manual of Marine Painting. “Marine Studies of British Merchant Vessels” and “Ten Views Illustrative of the Several Rates and Classes of Vessels in Her Majesty’s Navy” appeared as albums of lithographs ...

Sherlock Holmes at his finest in... Twelve short stories that plunge... into the mind of Sherlock Holmes. Each case provokes a new emotion. Each story dives deeper into the mysterious Baker Street Universe. A realm that is parallel to ours in another universe. A world where anything is possible. A place where anything can happen. And often does! That needs a smart man, a clever detective to solve crimes… That lurk in the darker regions of a Victorian London… Where monsters and mad men dwell.

In 1815 the Battle of Waterloo brought to an end the Napoleonic Wars and the European continent opened up once again to British tourists. The nineteenth century was to be an age driven by steam technology, mass-industrialisation and movement, and, in the footsteps of the Grand Tourists a hundred years earlier, the British middle-classes flocked to Europe to see the sights. In Tourists, the voices of these travellers – puzzled, shocked, delighted and amazed – are brought vividly to life.

We know what life was like for Victoria and Albert. But what was it like for a commoner like you or me? How did it feel to cook with coal and wash with tea leaves? Drink beer for breakfast and clean your teeth with cuttlefish? Dress in whalebone and feed opium to the baby? Surviving everyday life came down to the gritty details, the small necessities and tricks of living. Drawing on Ruth's unique firsthand experience gained from living on a Victorian farm for a year, this book will teach you everything you need to know about 19th-century living.

The Whitechapel Murders of 1888 have remained unsolved for over 130 years and hundreds of theories have been suggested as to the killer's identity. Despite numerous books claiming to unmask the infamous Victorian villain, none have come close…until now. The authors of this book are all members of H Division Crime Club, the world's largest body of experts on the Jack the Ripper murders. They have all come together for the first time in history to deliver their own personal research into each suspect and to finally nail down the identity of the man known as Jack the Ripper.

When diplomatic efforts to introduce opium to the Chinese market failed, the British Parliament approved an alternative: war. There were two wars: one from 1839 to 1842, and another from 1856 to 1860. They are collectively known as the Opium Wars. The British, who were joined by French and supported by the Americans and Russians, clashed with Imperial China, which was ruled by the Qing dynasty.

A Romance Novel Set in Wessex's Gibraltar during the Late 19th Century"Loves of a Stony Heart" is a gorgeously crafted romance novel teeming with evocative tales of unrequited love, longing, and the relentless pursuit of individual identity. Set against the quaint yet mystifying rural backdrop of Wessex's Gibraltar in the late 19th century, the narrative eloquently captures the stark contrast between burgeoning urban life and timeless rural traditions. Delicate Bonds and Complex Love TrianglesHighlighted by the complicated and contrast-filled relationships between London-bred sculptor ...

Polly, Annie, Elizabeth, Catherine and Mary-Jane are famous for the same thing, though they never met. They came from Fleet Street, Knightsbridge, Wolverhampton, Sweden and Wales. They wrote ballads, ran coffeehouses and lived on country estates; they breathed ink dust from printing presses and escaped people traffickers. What they had in common was the year of their murders: 1888. The person responsible was never identified, but the character created by the press to fill that gap has become far more famous than any of these five women.

A dazzlingly original account of the life and thought of Adam Smith, the greatest economist of all time. In Adam Smith, political philosopher Jesse Norman dispels the myths and caricatures, and provides a far more complex portrait of the man. Offering a highly engaging account of Smith's life and times, Norman explores his work as a whole and traces his influence over two centuries to the present day. Finally, he shows how a proper understanding of Smith can help us address the problems of modern capitalism.

London, 1857: Two teenage girls holding a sign that says "Fugitive Slaves" ask for money on the corner of Blackman Street. After a constable accosts them and charges them with begging, they end up in court, where newspapers pick up their story. Are the girls truly escaped slaves from Kentucky? Or will the city's dystopian Mendicity Society catch them in a lie, exposing them as born-and-raised Londoners and endangering their safety? With its many accounts of people like these who lived and made their living on the streets, Vagabonds forms a moving picture of London's most compelling period.

About the Adventure Story Series and The Sherlock Holmes Cookbook San Francisco Bay Area theater stage director, Broadwayworld nominee, advisor, and award-winning artist John DeGaetano launches this incredible cookbook and offers a fresh twist on twenty-seven adventures in the Sherlock Holmes 10 Minute Stories Collection. The book also includes a 10 Minute Stories full-color character image gallery. Based in part from the writings of Holmes’ long-time friend Dr. Watson. The stories are homage to Conan Doyle as you experience his iconic characters, their process in solving the cases, and ...

Honor and conviction clash with loyalty and love in this epic Civil War novel that pits brother against brother. Winner of the coveted John Esten Cooke Award for Southern Fiction, Noble Cause chronicles the clash of a Confederate cavalry officer with a Union spy as they defend their beliefs, their country, and their honor.

Due to horrible physical deformities, he spent much of his life as a fairground freak. He was hounded, persecuted, and starving, until his fortune changed and he was rescued, housed, and fed by the distinguished surgeon, Frederick Treves. The subject of several books, a Broadway hit, and a film, Joseph Merrick has become part of popular mythology. Here, in this fully revised edition containing much fresh information, are the true and un-romanticized facts of his life.

Three great tales, packed with magic, mystery, and terror. CASE OF THE DARK MASTER A new kind of weapon strikes London a deadly blow. It sucks everything into a vortex, leaving only a crater behind. An unthinkable weapon, it must be stopped! Even Captain Nemo and his famous Nautilus are drawn into a supernatural conflict that has an undercurrent of being run by an old enemy of Sherlock Holmes. Can Holmes and his companions discover the truth behind the weapon and who made it before it's too late to save London? RULES OF DARKNESS What is the dark secret of the Count’s castle and how will ...

Young Abigail suffers greatly from the way she is being raised by her mother, for whom a woman's only place is in the kitchen. At the same time, her father's dedicated fight for freedom also ignites in her a passion for the American Revolution. When news of her father's death reaches her, she has a falling out with her mother. Soon after, Abigail goes on her way to fight for freedom and independence, like her father had done. On the way, she encounters the young English deserter Edward, who has come to the realization that he went to war for the wrong ideals.

The Cancer Problem offers the first medical, cultural, and social history of cancer in 19th-century Britain. It argues that it was in the 19th century that cancer acquired the unique emotional, symbolic, and politicized status it maintains today. Through an interrogation of the construction, deployment, and emotional consequences of the disease's incurability, this book reframes our conceptualization of the relationship between medicine and modern life and reshapes our understanding of chronic and incurable maladies, both past and present.

The Vanishing Act brings together the first three gripping installments of the Shadows of the Past series, diving deep into the lives, disappearances, and legacies of three extraordinary women. Each case reveals the darker side of history, where secrets, scandals, and societal pressures converge into captivating mysteries that remain unsolved to this day.