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Monthly Archives: April 2018

Book Review – Britain Against Napoleon

Britain Against Napoleon – The Organization of Victory 1793-1815, by Roger Knight.

In spite of its main title, the book covers the French Revolutionary War (1793-1802) as well as the Napoleonic War.

Britain was at war from 1793 until 1815, with only a couple of intervals. During this time there were changes in the way the army and navy were organised, supplied, and paid for, changes in politics and government, and an increase in production (both manufacturing and agricultural). It was also a period when attempts were made to reduce corruption.

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General Regency topics War and weapons | jaynedavisromance | | Leave a comment |   non-fiction non-fiction book review politics

Book Review – The Country House Kitchen Garden 1600-1950

One of my summer hobbies is visiting National Trust properties and other country houses in England and Wales (and Scotland, when I get that far north), mainly for the wonderful gardens that many of them have. In some of these gardens, the NT have maintained part of what was once the kitchen garden, so we can get some idea of what such places may have looked like when they were the main source of fruit and vegetables for the house.

I picked up this book in the shop of a National Trust property somewhere in England. If you want to see  what kitchen gardens looked like, this is not the book for you as there are only a few black and white illustrations. The book is a collection of essays, and covers everything from methods of growing different crops, how gardens were laid out at different times, the staff employed, how year-round supplies of food were ensured, and even something on cooking and using herbs for medicine.

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Daily life Houses and gardens | jaynedavisromance | | 2 Comments |   Gardens non-fiction book review