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Spit and Polish: Old-Fashioned Ways to Banish Dirt, Dust and Decay
Lucy Lethbridge
€ 16.99
€ 5.70
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Description for Spit and Polish: Old-Fashioned Ways to Banish Dirt, Dust and Decay
hardcover. Num Pages: 128 pages, Full colour illustrations throughout. BIC Classification: WKH. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 140 x 208 x 19. Weight in Grams: 334.
In the late nineteenth century, general housework in the British home was so labour intensive that it required an army of servants to undertake it. Since then, the ways in which we look after our homes may have changed dramatically but the best and simplest of methods from that time still work for us today. From floor to ceiling, and leaving no awkward corner untouched, here are the tricks and techniques that generations once took for granted, distilled for modern use: how to get rid of water marks or heat rings on polished wood; the antibacterial qualities of simple vinegar; the damp cloth versus the dry duster; and using lemon juice to clear limescale. Combining fascinating `below-stairs' social history with startling facts and useful tips, Lucy Lethbridge restores fast-disappearing skills to keep at bay dust, rust, mildew, stains and pests. Here, beautifully illustrated and entertainingly presented, are a bygone era's keys to a clean house.
Product Details
Format
Hardback
Publication date
2016
Publisher
Bloomsbury
Condition
New
Number of Pages
128
Place of Publication
London, United Kingdom
ISBN
9781408866429
SKU
9781408866429
Shipping Time
Usually ships in 2 to 4 working days
Ref
99-1
About Lucy Lethbridge
Lucy Lethbridge has written for a number of publications and is also the author of several children's books, one of which, Who Was Ada Lovelace?, won the 2002 Blue Peter Award for non-fiction. Servants was published to critical acclaim by Bloomsbury in 2012. She lives in London.
Reviews for Spit and Polish: Old-Fashioned Ways to Banish Dirt, Dust and Decay
Humane, perceptive and dispassionate, Servants takes us more deeply and comprehensively than any previous account into the real world of Upstairs Downstairs
David Kynaston What Downtown Abbey will never touch on ... In this excellent addition to the history of domestic service in the 20th century, Lucy Lethbridge has swept the existing archive and added new sources of her own. The result is a richly textured account of what it felt like to spend the decades of high modernity on your knees with a dustpan and brush ... Hugely enjoyable
Guardian
An enthralling social history of the past century, told through the eyes of those who served ... Here, the voices of servants and home helpers, largely ignored by history, are brought to life. And what a life! ... The book is full of fascinating titbits
Tatler
A fascinating little book
Roger Lewis
Daily Mail
Lucy Lethbridge is a woman after my own heart ... Spit and Polish is packed with time-honoured hints and tips for a spotless home
Aggie Mackenzie
My Weekly
Small in size, length, scope and content, but big in charm
Tablet
Elegant collection of entertaining tips ... fun trivia meant to liven up the mundanity of housework in thought rather than practice
Publisher's Weekly
David Kynaston What Downtown Abbey will never touch on ... In this excellent addition to the history of domestic service in the 20th century, Lucy Lethbridge has swept the existing archive and added new sources of her own. The result is a richly textured account of what it felt like to spend the decades of high modernity on your knees with a dustpan and brush ... Hugely enjoyable
Guardian
An enthralling social history of the past century, told through the eyes of those who served ... Here, the voices of servants and home helpers, largely ignored by history, are brought to life. And what a life! ... The book is full of fascinating titbits
Tatler
A fascinating little book
Roger Lewis
Daily Mail
Lucy Lethbridge is a woman after my own heart ... Spit and Polish is packed with time-honoured hints and tips for a spotless home
Aggie Mackenzie
My Weekly
Small in size, length, scope and content, but big in charm
Tablet
Elegant collection of entertaining tips ... fun trivia meant to liven up the mundanity of housework in thought rather than practice
Publisher's Weekly