The Victorians: From Empire and Industry to Poverty and Famine

by John D. Wright

'We have long passed the Victorian Era when asterisks were followed after a certain interval by a baby.' - W. Somerset Maugham

The Victorian era boasted the glory of the Empire and the grandeur that Empire afforded, it saw huge technological advances in civil engineering and transport, mass urbanisation and social change, as well as still-treasured literature and the most popular sports that we play today. But it was also a time of great poverty, of mass child labour and prostitution, of the Irish Potato Famine and British concentration camps in the Boer War, of the boom and bust of the California Gold Rush and slavery being fought over in America, of sexual hypocrisy and rigid class differences. The Victorians explores the Victorian world from its cholera epidemics and asylums to its workhouses and chimneysweeps, from the Opium Wars to London’s opium dens, from the gangs of New York to convicts bound for Australia, from body-snatchers to freakshows, from the British in Afghanistan to the American Civil War, from imposters claiming fortunes to women pretending to be men. Included are the lives of such colourful figures as Charles Dickens, Edgar Allan Poe, the Elephant Man and Jack the Ripper, and the world that inspired Dracula, detective stories and the character of Sherlock Holmes. Expertly written and using 180 photographs, paintings, and illustrations, The Victorians reveals that behind the splendour and the facades was a world of poverty, disease and hypocrisy, where fortunes could be quickly made – and swiftly lost.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Historical

224 pages, Hardcover

First published May 14, 2018

About the author

John D. Wright is an American author and editor living in England. He has been a reporter in London for Time and People magazines, covering such subjects as politics and crime. He is the author of several history books, including The Oxford Dictionary of Civil War Quotations and The Routledge Encyclopedia of Civil War Era Biographies. Among his other books are Crime Investigation and Unsolved Crimes. He holds the Ph.D. degree in Communications from the University of Texas and has taught writing at three universities.

Reviews

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice overview of the Victorian era, although as such there's not a great deal of depth to be found (except in the numerous sidebars). But illustrations and old photographs abound, and the book functions as kind of a timeline, showing the reader the significant events, inventions, etc., that were occurring in various countries around the world while Queen Victoria was on the throne. The text is easy to read; political and ethical issues of the era are presented clearly; and while some people may find the layout on a given page too busy, I enjoyed the diversity. If you don't already know well the Victorians in both Britain and abroad, Wright's book is a good place to start meeting them and learning about their age.

(A note: Among the many statistics presented, I found an error: The length of the Trail of Tears is generally considered to have been about 1,200 miles. On page 148, Wright reports that this "forced march" was "5045 miles" long. If true, the displaced Native Americans would have ended up somewhere west of Hawaii.)

[Charlie Topnik · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It covered all the bases and then some, with interesting photographs and anecdotes throughout. Good as a reference book or even just to read for pleasure. Solid 4 out of 5 stars.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent overview to the Victorian era throughout much of the world. This book touches on just about every aspect of life and is full of photographs and pictures.

[Randal White · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, quick overview of the Victorian era. Mostly from the American and British perspective. Easy to read, good photos. Kept me interested.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Victorians" provides an overview of the Victorian era along with many photographs and illustrations from the time. If you're already familiar with the Victorian era, you probably won't find much new here. However, this is a good overview of the time period for those unfamiliar with it. The focus was mainly on England and America, but other countries were mentioned if something notable happened there, like a great fire that destroyed most of the city. The author covered things like wars, new technologies, notable crimes and criminals, popular literature or entertainment, city life, women's issues, slavery, and more. The illustrations and photographs from that time period were interesting and helped give a sense of the time. I'd recommend this book to those interested in an overview of the main issues of the Victorian age.

I received an ebook review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

[Abby · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars: On the whole, this novel really interested me! The most I had read about the Victorian Era is through novels - so reading this novel was a much needed eye opener. The book was well researched and broken up into categories such as Industry to crime and punishment to living during this period. It made you very conscious that if you were not born into wealth, your life span could be short and brutal.

I would like to thank the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this novel in return for an honest and unbiased review of this book

[Cristie Underwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Victorian Era is romanticized in many books, but the author of this one honestly explored all aspects of this time period in most of the world. There were many heartbreaking events during that time period, such as mass child labor and prostitution. The author's ability to explore these not so pleasant events that took place and write about them in such an honest fashion is admirable. I really learned a lot reading this one and highly recommend it!

[Annarella · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent overview of the Victorian era, well written and engrossing.
I liked how the book is organised and the interesting pictures.
It was an informative read, recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

[Katie Hirsch · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy way to add more historical content to your daily reads. I enjoyed this book and the variety of subjects it touched on. My favorite chapters were The City, Mind and Body, Gothic Lives and Science and Technology. While it looks like a textbook, it does not read like one.

[Dinh Hong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the books with great 180 photos and illustrations. Brief but full summary of Victorian society. Excellent history book.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good quick overview of the period with some areas highlighted to encourage further investigation. I certainly discovered new things about the Victorians.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. Great photos and lots of information. I've read a lot on the Victorian Age in both England and America and I still found new information. Fabulous book.

[Amanda Borys · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't read this in a day, but while I was reading Braehead and a more casual read. The book is not complicated, but short historical snippets about different Victorian events, like colonial wars, poverty, and all the wonderful gothic novels that came out in the Victorian era. Fun to read, but I did think the Penny Dreadfuls should have made a mention.

[Olivia Brisebois · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly detailed and had many interesting facts and pictures