This is a disorganized mess in which the writer assumes that the reader is a white, middle-class person who already knows a great deal about Victorian England. The author's tone is judgmental and uneven, and the book really could use an overhaul by a developmental editor. Give this one a miss.

I received this book free from Netgalley. That did not influence this review.

Having read A Visitor’s Guide to Jane Austen’s England by Sue Wilkes, I was anxious to follow up with A Visitor’s Guide to Victorian England by Michelle Higgs. This uses the same construction of a guidebook of sorts to England for travelers (time travelers?) curious about daily life during a specific period in the past.

Higgs does not focus as much on the upper crust, but rather on the middle and underclasses. It also is a little less London focused. Otherwise, it similarly relates the typical foods, clothing, modes of travel, types of entertainment, and courting customs of the English. It doesn’t get into politics or economics. And it quotes from primary sources to support its observations.

Although it’s fairly dry reading, it contains a wealth of information—difficult-to-find information such as how much things cost and how long travel takes from one place to another. It’s a wonderful resource for basic information about life in Victorian times.

Princess Fuzzypants here: This is an interesting collection of stories and letters, written by people in Victorian times, about common place things. Most of the chapters are very short, just right for popping in and out at random or sitting down and reading at one time. It is harder to do the latter in e-book form but a reader could use the chapter listings at the front to accomplish the same thing.

It is done in alphabetical order and often each chapter will have only one item in it. Others will have a couple of separate entries. Overall, it had some fascinating insights of different elements of what life was like in Victorian times.

Four purrs and two paws up.

This book was a fun, fun read. It gave you informative look and into the Victorian era a travel guide to the past!!

The book is charmingly written like a travelers guide you d use for a holiday, drawing on quotes. newspapers and writings from the time, it provides great insight and information in more light hearted way, than the more traditional non fiction historical books. The text is divided into sections such as Traveling, Clothing and even Encounters with the Opposite Sex. A great, easily accessible book that covers a wealth of information (you even learn about the different names given to styles of mens facial hair) and answers many queries you may have about the lives of people in the period. A great addition to anyone library that has an interest in social history and this period.

My thanks to NetGalley and Pen and Sword for a copy of “A Visitors Guide To Victorian England “ for an honest review.
I eagerly look forward to any new Pen and Sword publications as I know how beneficial they have been to my family history research. I’ve found previous books by Michelle Higgs very useful
Even as someone who has been compiling their family tree for a while now I seem to find something of use in every new publication .
A very interesting and informative read which I found very entertaining to read

Thank you to NetGalley and Pen and Sword for an e-ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review. This book was so unique, educational, but more than that...fun to read. I would encourage anyone interested in the Victorian era to read this book. It's quite well done.

⭐️ 3.75 / 5 ⭐️

For the Victorian Enthusiast's 🥂

This one was most definitely educational, and not something you read for fun 😂 (unless you're a history buff). And while I am, in fact, a history buff, the execution of this one fell a little flat. I found the information really diverting, and it answered a lot of my questions about Victorian England, but the way it was presented was lacking for me. Maybe this is a sign that I need to pick up a fiction book since my recent reads have been non-fiction...Writing that feels like heresy 😂

Yes, definitely time for a fiction read! At the very least, this was an interesting and good beginner's guide to those who are wondering what it was like living in Victorian England.

Thank you to Pen & Sword for sending me an ARC copy of this book!

Book Breakdown:

Writing Quality: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Quality Research: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Enjoyment Level: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

「 Overall: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆」

This is fascinating. It is definitely a social history but it reads like a work of fiction in that you are immediately drawn into the context and story of the time. If you are a fan of Victorian literature, this will add a great dimension thought more context and detail of the times in which such works were written.

Michelle Higgs, Visitor’s Guide to Victorian England, Pen &Sword Social, 28 February 2021

Michelle Higgs has written a guide to Victorian England that provides a colourful and accessible addition to information about that era. Links to literature depicting the period, assist the reader to do as the book asks – imagine that you are in the Victorian world. The reader is encouraged to feel drawn into both the realties and the way in which fiction addresses these in essentially romantic interpretations of the past. The clash of reality and romance is an interesting approach to a book such as this, helping readers make connections between characters with whom they already have a relationship. I would have liked to see this device used more frequently, although the non-fiction accounts are useful. In contrast there is good use of the personal touch with the reader being called ‘you’ and being invited to see the world through their own eyes.
That criticism apart, this book is informative, interesting, and at times, arresting in its provision of information about England in the Victorian world. This takes places though chapters on: Getting Your Bearings, Accommodation, Clothing, Food and Drink, Getting Around, Shopping, Health Hazards, Encounters with the Opposite Sex, Amusement and Entertainments, and Customs and Traditions. The information is bolstered by several appendices: Timeline, Currency and Coinage, Cost of Accommodation, Wages and Salaries, What You Could Buy With… and The Cost of Living. It is in these appendices that Higgs excels – they are an important addition, and I could not be more appreciative of the way in which they improve understanding of the way in which people lived. There are also some marvellous photographs that are attractive reminders of what life was like.
Early in the book the Victorians’ attention to invention is noted – cameras, telephones and bicycles. Those readers who have enjoyed Michael Portello’s train journeys, with his references to the Victorians’ contributions to knowledge and invention, this comes as no surprise. And later in the book, the role of trains is described, again familiar territory for the television audience. However, with the space to make the most use of her information and freedom to deliberate about events and lifestyles Higgs can take the reader further into the world of Victorian transport, and the variety of available accommodation. This latter topic makes awful sense of the insect powder with which a traveller should not venture into most, if not all, accommodation.
The blending of information about rich and poor; male and female; professional attitudes and behaviours and those of the tradesperson, or domestic worker makes for a richly woven narrative that is accessible, fascinating, and realistic. Higgs has made a worthy contribution to the way in which writing history can accomplished to relate to a wide range of readers. This book can be a beginning to further study through literature and the sources listed at the end of the book. There is also a fine index. However, the book is also a worthwhile standalone read which takes the reader into England’s Victorian world.

Thank you to Net Galley for providing me with this copy for review.

Informative, fascinating and accessible, I really enjoyed this from cover to cover. I have read numerous books about this era but still felt I learned a lot and there was plenty to keep my interest. The topics were wide reaching and well chosen and all social classes were included in the narrative, in fact seeing the differences of how people lived in the same era was truly eye opening. It was an excellent balance of entertainment and education, which is perfect when reading a topic for pleasure but also opened up some areas of interest and whetted my appetite to now go and do further research.
I’d recommend this definitely.

Fascinating book: Really is written as a visitor’s guide

I loved this book. Although this is a history book, it is written unlike any other history book I’ve ever read as it is written like an instruction manual. This is a great way to learn history. The appendices are also very useful, containing information on currency and coinage, the costs of living, and wages. There are also some great photos. There were lots of anecdotes and contemporary accounts adding to the texture of the book. The book is objective, covering the best and worst of Victorian society. I recommend this book for anyone interested in history, for time-travelers, and for members of away missions (redshirts are directed to the chapters on health hazards). Thank you to Netgalley and Pen and Sword for the advance reader copy.

This book is a historical fiction writer’s dream. Want to know how much a pair of gloves costs, or the rent on a hotel room? It’s in here. The specificity of giving information of what it was actually like to live in Victorian England is so incredibly helpful if you are trying to write a story set in that time period. By reading, you can tell it was meticulously researched and organized. I am sure I will be coming back to reference this book many times in the future.

My favourite kind of history book is the kind that gives you a strong idea of what it really felt like to live in a different time. A Visitor’s Guide to Victorian England gives you lots of fascinating detail about daily life, evocative descriptions, and toe-curling facts. It’s full of quotes from primary sources. You’ll understand what it was like to really walk the streets, what food and clothing was like, and even some cues for social etiquette. It’s very readable, and especially good for readers new to the subject.

Thank you to the publisher, the author, and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for honest feedback. Will be cross-posting to Goodreads.

I am a big fan of books about Britain, and my favorite time period to read about is the Victorian era. So, this book was right up my alley, and I was glad to have the chance to look through what it has to offer. Chiefly, this book is about what one would encounter in the daily life in Victorian England. I thought it would be more like a travel guide, like it talked about sights and events that would be seen if you were visiting England and wanted to know about its Victorian past. Rather, its more historically grounded with discussion in daily features of Victorian life. I think that one of its strengths is in the conversational, yet informative nature of the writing style. There is that sense of humor in the writing that makes it enjoyable to read. I liked the amount of research that went into the guide -- not too much that it bogs you down, but not too light that you aren't getting anything from it. I would have liked to see more pictures, maybe that's just due to the format of this ARC? I think that would have helped to boost the value of the book. I did enjoy the inclusion of the links and resources in the back of the book. Very helpful for someone who wants to learn more.

3 stars

An approachable tone & a flair for fun bits of historical trivia

[What I liked:]

•Brief, conversational in tone, and easy to read.

•I appreciated the variety of primary sources drawn upon for quotes and interesting tidbits.


[What I didn’t like as much:]

•Sometimes quotes from the primary sources are quite long, with little synthesis or comment provided. In those sections the book feels like a bunch of quotes strung together without anything much linking them together or providing context.


[I received an ARC ebook copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you for the book!]

A Visitor's Guide to Victorian England is an interesting and layman accessible guide to the social mores, dress, dangers, and sights of Victorian England written by Michelle Higgs. Originally published in 2014, this reformat and re-release due out 28th Feb 2021 from Pen & Sword is 224 pages and will be available in paperback and ebook formats.

I love the Victorian era in theory. I love the literature, the music, the dress, the civilized aspects. In short, I love the curated sanitised version provided in a modern BBC costume drama and would have in actual fact decried the squalid and desperately short lives of the actual reality of the time (and probably been locked up and/or beaten to death for my troubles). This interesting and fairly comprehensive guide gives a glimpse into the day-to-day lives of people who lived then, from the recollections and contemporaneous period writings.

The book is arranged in a format which will be familiar to readers of other tourist and "visitor's guides". Topics are arranged thematically: orienting oneself, accommodations, clothing, food & drink, travel, shopping, health hazards, interacting socially, entertainment, and customs & traditions. The information is relayed in plain language liberally interspersed with quotes and references to contemporaneous sources.

The text is not annotated and there are no footnotes or chapter notes included, however the author has provided a number of very useful appendices including a schedule of typical costs of daily life as well as wages and salaries during the period. There's also a cross referenced index and a succinct timeline. There are numerous illustrations and facsimile documents scattered relevantly throughout which I found illuminating. The extensive bibliography invites exploration and will provide useful avenues for further research.

Four stars. It would make a good choice for public or home library acquisition, as well as being a good resource for writers interested in background research for the period.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

The Victorian era is endlessly fascinating to read about. As a little girl I wanted to be whisked away to the late 1800s, little knowing about its dangers, diseases, poverty and class distinctions. This book positively sizzles with information as the author plunks us right into the thick of things when merely crossing the road is taking your life into your hands, probably akin to modern Rome. As long as people are properly attired for their station and fashion trends...with hats...they will surely be ok.

But no. Water may be crammed with bacteria. Etiquette for all circumstances must be learned including hotel stays where bugs are so thick they "fall like peas" from ceilings. Another reason for that hat. Men may share a bed with another man in accommodations. Beatrix Potter humorously likens hotel stays to having "too much Natural History" in beds! Women may die in childbirth due to a life of corsets. Feet may get soaked when inside many forms of horse-drawn transportation. Doctors are likely to kill rather than heal. But thankfully one can hold hands with his or her fiancé.

Prices are included in this well-researched book such as accommodations, food, garments, transportation and occupations. The author also describes shopping, tipping, gazers, customer service, nightsoil removal, requesting "curling papers" due to propriety, all sorts of entertainment, feasts, religion and photography.

Readers of Nonfiction should absolutely read this highly-entertaining and informative book, chock full of historical details, wit and humour. I enjoyed it thoroughly and cannot recommend it enough. Talk about memorable! I was happy to see illustrations and photographs.

My sincere thank you to Pen & Sword and NetGalley for allowing me the privilege of reading this fabulous ARC!