Archive for the ‘Science and history’ Category

Victorian Kitchen Garden
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license
Attribution: Adrian Cable

Before there was a drug store on every corner, there was the kitchen garden and the stillroom.

Do you want to reduce your freckles with a mixture of muriatic acid (ouch?), rain water and spirit of lavender? Then you’ll need to buy the spirit of lavender or make your own. Do you want to stuff your turkey with onion, celery and apples, and perhaps flavor it with rosemary and thyme? Then you’ll need to grow your own aromatics.

Of course, many people did buy those items, but there is a long tradition of planting and harvesting on the great country estates. Since the beginning of time—or at least the beginning of agriculture—people have planted what they needed. This continued for both the great country houses and the poor tenant farmers and laborers, and even continues today. In fact, I didn’t buy a single Halloween pumpkin this year. I grew my own, along with fresh herbs, tomatoes, squash, and peppers. The Regency period was no different, at least in the country. Read the rest of this entry »

Find a cool bit of shade on the terrace, Dear Readers, and ring for a glass of lemonade. We extend a warm Duchess welcome to Her Grace Heather Snow today. You will not wish to miss the pictures of her lovely library, nor the chance to win a copy of her latest novel, SWEET DECEPTION.

Heather burst upon the historical romance scene earlier this year with the release of her debut, SWEET ENEMY. RT Bookreviews says “newcomer Snow makes a mark on the genre” and BookPage boasts “Readers will be delighted to add Ms. Snow to their list of must-read authors.”

Not to be outdone by the glowing reception of her first book, SWEET DECEPTION is garnering stellar reviews of its own. The Reading Reviewer writes ”Heather Snow is a genius with plot, characters, and intricate information. Readers must embrace the magic that is the romance of her words, and appreciate the brilliance of her ability to write a mystery no one can figure out.” Read the rest of this entry »

   Not all Victorian heroes were tall, dark, and brooding. Come to think of it, not all Victorian heroes were handsome. Case in point? Dr. John Snow, a Victorian doctor who arguably saved thousands of lives in the mid-nineteenth century by proving cholera was transmitted by water. Hero face? Err… not so much. But heroic heart? I think so. And while the face of the man who inspired not only my choice of career but also the period about which I write might not be swoon-worthy, his brilliant yet simple theories certainly were.

I became interested Dr. John Snow when I first set out on a career in epidemiology, which is the science that tracks the origins of diseases and develops ways to prevent and control them. Every year, “The Pump Handle Award” is given to an epidemiologist who has made important contributions to the field. Curious, I set out to research the history of this award, and discovered it traced back to Dr. John Snow.  In learning about the man who inspired an entire discipline of science, I unwittingly unleashed a love of history, especially facts centered on science and medicine in the Victorian era.

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