The Domestic Revolution: How the Introduction of Coal into Victorian Homes Changed Everything

Written by Ruth Goodman

Narrated by Jennifer M. Dixon

"The queen of living history" (Lucy Worsley) returns with an immersive account of how English women sparked a worldwide revolution-from their own kitchens.

No single invention epitomizes the Victorian era more than the black cast-iron range. Aware that the twenty-first-century has reduced it to a quaint relic, Ruth Goodman was determined to prove that the hot coal stove provided so much more than morning tea: it might even have kick-started the Industrial Revolution. Wielding the wit and passion seen in How to Be a Victorian, Goodman traces the tectonic shift from wood to coal in the mid-sixteenth century-from sooty trials and errors during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I to the totally smog-clouded reign of Queen Victoria. A pattern of innovation emerges as the women stoking these fires also stoked new global industries: from better soap to clean smudges to new ingredients for cooking. Laced with uproarious anecdotes of Goodman's own experience managing a coal-fired household, this fascinating book shines a hot light on the power of domestic necessity.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Nov 24, 2020
• ISBN: 9781705248904

Reviews for The Domestic Revolution

[laura · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Amazing. I have admired Ruth Goodman for years after watching her in the Farms series, and I love her books as well. Domestic history is such an overlooked part of past lives, despite it being the biggest

[Wilma Branstetter · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book added to my understanding of the progression for heat and cooking source materials and some of the related products for cleaning purposes and advances into industry. Fascinating. It helps explain some of the food items mentioned in historical fiction books I have listened to lately.

[Charlene Friesen · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Ruth Goodman’s diligent research brings both the past & present to life! Thanks for all your hard work, Ruth!

[Alana Berry · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was really very interesting. I enjoy books about “weird” topics and this was really wholesome. I liked it a lot!