Best Selling Books by Pamela Horn

Richly illustrated with artwork and contemporary cartoons, this is a fascinating and engaging account of a neglected aspect of Victorian life.

Describes the effect of the Elementary Education Act of 1870 upon the lives of the vast majority of English and Welsh children, the offspring of the working and lower middle classes, who attended elementary school during that period. Some 130 photographs, many not previously published, complement the text. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

A fascinating glimpse of life below stairs, This book tells the stories of the lives the people who lived and worked there.

The real lives of servants in the second half of the twentieth century.

The real lives of women in Britain''s country houses.

What was it like to live in a Victorian Household? What time did the servants have to get up? What was the food like and who cooked it? How did the clothing differ for the different types of servants? How much did the servants get paid? This book shows you what it was really like to live in Victorian times, for those both above and below stairs.

This short book provides a succinct account of changes in children''s work and welfare in Britain between 1780 and 1890. It examines both the scale and the nature of child employment and the changing attitude of society towards it at a time when Britain was becoming the ''workshop of the world''. The further development of industry in the second half of the nineteenth century meant that the need for juvenile workers declined. At the same time the efforts of philanthropists and the State led to legal curbs on the kinds of jobs children could perform and the minimum age at which they could commence them. The author concludes that the century after 1780 saw a progressive lengthening of childhood as a stage of life, and that by 1890 children had been recognised as ''special cases'' in need of protective legislation. However, for the poorest and most disadvantaged families life remained a struggle, and children continued to pick up a living where they could.

Forget glossy period dramas, here is the real story of Britain''s super-rich from the First World War to the end of the ''roaring'' twenties.

Presented in a small gift book format, this series offers books that intend to take the reader back in time and show them what it was really like to be a Victorian Lady, what sights and smells would be around them, and what day-to-day life would involve in terms of food, clothing, living quarters, kitchens, and more.

An honest account of what life was really like for the rural community in the Victorian age

A fascinating and very readable exploration of how young offenders have passed through the legal justice system over 300 years.

In this book, first published in 1980, the author draws a vivid picture of what country life was like for the vast majority of English villagers – agricultural labourers, craftsmen and small farmers – during a period of rapid agricultural development. This study analyses the influence of the enclosure movement on farming methods and on the structure of village life, and examines the devastating effects of the Napoleonic wars on English society. The Rural World is based on a wide range of sources, including parliamentary papers, contemporary letters, diaries and account books, and official records such as those relating to the Poor Law and the courts. It provides a fascinating overview of all aspects of rural life – from employment to home conditions, education, charity, crime, the role of religion and the influence of politics – during a critical period in English history.

Real women''s lives in the era of The Great Gatsby.

Paradoxically, the Victorian era, which was laid on a bedrock of work and industry, saw the greatest upsurge in leisure pursuits hitherto witnessed. This book describes the pastimes enjoyed by the Victorians, placing them in their social context.

A superbly- illustrated account of the British system of education in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

The rise of urban society saw a great majority of people living in towns at the end of the 19th century and, in industrial centres, the proportion of children was well above the national average. Horn examines their lifestyles and attitudes to them.

The complete servant is a fascinating source of social history and a guide to backstairs living in both large and modest house of the late Georgian era. It was first published in 1825 ...

The story of the shopworkers who emerged during the Victorian and Edwardian era to cater for all clientele from behind the counters of the increasing number of shops and lavish department stores.

A guided tour of this historic town, showing how the areas you know and love have transformed over the centuries.

Drawing on family papers, contemporary publications and archive research, this book presents a vivid picture of women''s lives in the 1920s. Essential reading for students of women''s history and social historians.

Examines the scale and nature of child employment between 1780 and the 1880s and the way in which attitudes towards this altered over time. The contributions of philanthropy and of the state in achieving change are considered.

The fascinating history of Abingdon, illustrated through old and modern pictures.

This book traces the nature of change within the country community of England and Wales between 1870 and 1918--a period that was, in many respects, a watershed in British history. Horn reveals the powerful underlying stresses and tensions of rural life: people experienced the anxieties of agricultural recession, the declining influence of the landed classes, the diminishing support for religious institutions, and the disruption of many traditional aspects of rural life.

Schools and teachers of the old type -- The monitorial system -- Pupil-teachers -- Training college life -- The daily round -- Life at the school house -- Tenure problems and old age -- Bread and butter issues -- Combination and trade unionism -- The turn of the century -- Appendices : Rules of the Haslingfield School for Girls c. 1840s ; Conditions at the Central Schools of the National Society for Masters and Mistresses in training, 1833 ; Specimen correspondence concerning entrance to the Borough Road Training School in the 1840s ; A petition against state intervention in education, 1839 ; Education in Wales, 1847 ; The student''s point of view ; Child workers in agriculture and their teachers, in the 1860s ; Extracts from the diaries of William Wright ; Memories of the early twentieth century as a scholar and teacher.

Country houses formed a distinct community and power base within the broader Victorian countryside. This book shows how landed families'' day-to-day existence depended on the skills of the indoor servants who provided their meals and ministered to their general comfort, and the outdoor staff who contributed to their leisure and sporting pursuits. It considers the relationship - and the divisions - between those living ''above stairs'' and and the carefully considered hierarchy of domestics who met their needs ''below stairs''. Also considered are the wider social activities of the two groups who, while living under the same roof, experienced a very different daily round. That applied to preparations for the holding of house parties and the running of sporting events, as well as the important social influence exerted by the London ''Season''.

A fascinating glimpse of life below stairs, This book tells the stories of the lives the people who lived and worked there.

In the world of the late-Victorian and Edwardian country house the mistress and her daughters had many social duties and responsibilities to carry out both in their home community and in London, where they spent the Season and where the girls officially entered Society by being presented at Court. Pamela Horn''s book examines the lives of these real ''Downton Abbey'' ladies from their childhood and marriage to their role as a ''Lady Bountiful''. It covers their leisure pursuits, sporting activities, country-house weekends, and much more besides, up to the life-transforming years of the First World War.

This is the first study of Victorian countrywomen of all kinds from teh aristocracy and gentry to the artisan and labouring classes. Previous accounts of nineteenth-century rural life have tended to concentrate on men, an imbalance which this book seeks to rectify. The author examines the mixture of stability and change in these women′s lives, and considers their distinctive role in the shaping of rural England and Wales. Pamela Horn brings to life the daily round of chores and relaxation in manor house, rectory, farm and cottage. Her account provides a fascinating picture of women at work, and her vivid descriptions of the lighter side of country life, including social events, courtship and marriage make particularly captivating reading. The contemporary preoccupation with female domesticity undoubtedly affected women′s social and economics status in their communities. Yet, the author show how the rise of the professions, and the training of women to work as eachers, nurses and midwives gave thema new prominence in rural society widely at variance with the traditional picture of the Victorial wife and mother.

History of the National Institute of Houseworkers. Dorothy Elliott was an early chair of the NIH Board.