New Releases by Pamela Horn

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

As a Victorian lady, what unspoken rules governed what you wore, how you spoke, and how you filled your time? This fascinating book takes you back in time to show you just how your day would be, and how it differed from lower class life.

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

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

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

First published in 1991 and now available in paperback, a title in the ILLUSTRATED HISTORY PAPERBACK series which explores the life and social round of the wives and daughters of the landed aristocracy and gentry from the 1830s to the end of the First World War.

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.

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.

With these fun and revealing books, readers can test their knowledge in specific subjects and quickly calculate their level of expertise with an instant scoring wheel.

Victorian England measured social acceptability in terms of the number of servants employed in a household. It is perhaps unsuprising then that this frequently overlooked body of workers actually formed the largest occupational group in the country at the end of the nineteenth century. In this illustrated account, Pamela Horn draws upon a wealth of contemporary sources and 'servants' books' as well as personal reminiscences by servants and employers. She presents a comprehensive record of recruitment and training; the duties expected by servants, and the wide range of conditions under which they worked, some of which led to happy retirement, others to prostitution or squalid death. It is a compelling picture of a vanished social system.