Archive for the ‘Introduction’ Category

22
Oct

Recommended Books

   Posted by: Administrator

I read a lot, and I keep just about every book I like or think is worthy of future reference. Needless to say, I have a pretty comprehensive collection of books on historical events, places and people. Here is a working list of some I recommend…

Non-Fiction
The Gentleman’s Daughter: Women’s Lives in Georgian England by Amanda Vickers
Court Lady and Country Wife: Two Noble Sisters in Seventeenth-Century England by Lita-Rose Betcherman
Aristocrats: Caroline, Emily, Louisa, and Sarah Lennox by Stella Tillyard
Marie Antoinette’s Daugher by Alice Curtis Desmond
Jennie: The Life of Lady Randolph Churchill (two volumes) by Ralph G. Martin
Ladies of the Grand Tour by Brian Dolan
My Blue Notebook, The Diary of Lian de Pougy
The Johnstown Flood by David McCullough
Strapless (John Singer Sargent and the Fall of Madame X) by Deborah Davis
The Exquisite Exile (the life of Peggy Shippen Arnold) by Harry Stanton Tillotson
The Bouviers by John H. Davis
Daughters of Britannia: The Lives and Times of Diplomatic Wives by Katie Hickman

Fiction
The Princess of Cleves by Madame de Lafayette
Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
The Dress Lodger by Sheri Holman
Dangerous Liasons by Chodoleros de Laclos
Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier
Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe
The Constant Sinner (also titled Babe Gordon) by Mae West
The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber
The Royal Physician’s Visit: A Novel by Per Olov Enquist
Fingersmith by Sarah Waters
Tom Jones by Henry Fielding
The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet
Wives and Daughers by Elizabeth Gaskill
The Beggar’s Opera by John Gay
Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott

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22
Oct

Online Reading

   Posted by: Administrator

As much as I love to hold and read an actual book, there’s also some great historical reading to be found online, such as:

My articles on TimeTravel-Britain:
Hever Castle: The Childhood Home of Anne Boleyn
Hatfield House: Childhood Home of Queen Elizabeth I
Kew Palace: Rebirth of a Royal Retreat
Stirling, Borthwick and Lochleven: The Scottish Haunts of Mary, Queen of Scots
Music, Saurians and Colored Fire at the Crystal Palace
Swiss Cottage: A Royal Playhouse
Palaces on the Periphery: Marlborough House and Clarence House
Marble Hill House: Retreat for a Royal Mistress (or two)
Frogmore House: A Royal Family Home
Gawthorpe Hall — Legacy of the Shuttleworths

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21
Oct

Why? Because history IS interesting…

   Posted by: Administrator Tags: , , ,

Welcome to the Arbitrary History Blog!

I’ve created this blog not only because I love history and enjoy writing about it, but also because I want more people to realize that history really is interesting. Unfortunately, many people lose interest in history from the moment they take their first school history lesson. It’s not surprising considering that memorizing dates and names often seems the primary goal.

Even for the lucky ones who had a great history teacher or are just naturally inclined to history, it’s still often hard to find historical information that’s diverse and compelling. All too often, even networks like The History Channel (great as it is!) seem to focus too narrowly on certain topics – i.e. “All Nazis, All the Time” as someone I knew once called it – or show the same programs ad infinitum.

In my travels, reading and research, I’ve come across what seems like a never-ending supply of great historical gems and tidbits, many of which are random, obscure or overlooked. And since my personal interests vary so greatly, I decided that my history blog would be entirely arbitrary – that is, at my whim and impulse.

My hope is that the Arbitrary History Blog will be of interest to those who already like/love history and a way of helping to convert those who are still under the impression that history is boring.

Enjoy!

Tori

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