The
Crystal Palace
Foundation

By Prof. John M. MacKenzie

The Victorians were people with vision - they were ambitious and outward looking, always seeking to change and improve society. Published to coincide with a major exhibition at the V&A, this highly illustrated and broad-ranging survey looks at how the Victorians went about creating a new, more modern world: at home in domestic and public life, and globally, as the Empire expanded and widened their horizons. They achieved this through a combination of technology, trade and new ideas.

In many respects, the modern world was forged in the Victorian age. While the world into which Queen Victoria was born in 1819 was very much that of the eighteenth century, by the time she died in 1901, transport, communications, the global economy, and many aspects of social life were recognisably similar to those of our own day. The book is divided into three major sections: Society, Technology and The World, showing how the dramatic developments in these different spheres created a revolution in human lifestyles.

The contributors, all experts in their fields, consider the ideas, products, inventions and social changes wrought by the Victorians. A look at the artistic taste and patronage of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert is followed by an exploration of the home life and leisure of ordinary Victorians, education and the changing roles of women and men. Other areas covered include health, religious ideas, the development of new technologies in printing, photography, building, engineering and transport, as well as the Victorians' intriguing attitudes towards animals and nature.

Chapters on the Far East, India, Africa and the colonies of white settlement discuss the influence of these areas on Victorian approaches to art and design. A final section highlights the changes brought about during Victoria's long reign by contrasting its early years with its final achievements. Throughout the book an array of wonderful contemporary photographs, posters, paintings, sculpture, domestic ephemera, costume, medical equipment and many other objects and images from the V&A and other international collections has been chosen to omplement the lively and informative text.

A new and exciting interpretation of the Victorian age, this highly original and illuminating book will appeal to all lovers of history, the arts, geographical exploration and scientific discovery, and provides a fascinating assessment of the origins of our own twenty-first century.

PLEASE NOTE: All the copies have been purchased from high-class antique book dealers and are therefore of good quality. Second hand books are however subject to the usual problems - light foxing and / or lightly stained pages, loose or missing spines and the page edges, etc may not be perfect. Where available the jackets may not be perfect (and we may not have any in stock with a jacket). The pages are always fully secure. The best available copy of the book will always be sent.

Hardback 360 pages 437 colour and black and white illustrations and drawings