Audio Books

Cottage Economy

Cobbett, William
How can you tell when your pig is fat enough? Why should you never buy mustard? What's wrong with eating potatoes? Which is better, beer or tea? And what type of straw makes the best bonnets? William Cobbett is the man to ask. Here is his book of practical advice to the rural labouring 'cottager' (first published as a part-work in 1821-22), the precursor in many ways to the handbooks on self-sufficiency that today entice so many city-dwellers.

A champion of the rural working class at a time of huge social and industrial change, a radical politician and a prolific writer, Cobbett is opinionated, passionate and enlightening, making 'Cottage Economy' a fascinating and entertaining window on daily life for the smallholders of his day, and still inspirational, almost 200 years later, to those who seek 'a good living' as the foundation of happiness.

Our Cats and All About Them

Weir, Harrison
The Englishman Harrison Weir organized the first cat show in England in 1871. In 1887 he founded the National Cat Club and was its first President and Show Manager until his resignation in 1890.
Our Cats and all about them is concerned with cats and all about them. It describes numerous breeds of cats and what to look for in a cat show champion, and deals with the general management and common diseases of cats, as well as how to raise healthy kittens.
But there is also a hodge podge of cat related stories, games, nursery rhymes, superstitions, as well as a list of cat lovers and a chapter of "The Cat in Shakespeare".

Good Housekeeping Marriage Book, The

Bigelow, William F.
A collection of articles from Good Housekeeping magazine, The Good Housekeeping Marriage Book focuses on the subject of marriage. With instructions and advice from courtship to raising children, this collection aims to assist those with questions and concerns surrounding marriage and the ensuing relationship. Published in 1938.

Domestic Cookery, Useful Receipts, and Hints to Young Housekeepers

Lea, Elizabeth E.
The compiler of [this book] having entered early in life upon a train of duties, was frequently embarrassed by her ignorance of domestic affairs. For, whilst receipt books for elegant preparations were often seen, those connected with the ordinary, but far more useful part of household duties, were not easily procured; thus situated, she applied to persons of experience, and embodied the information collected in a book, to which, since years have matured her judgment, she has added much that is the result of her own experiments.Familiar, then, with the difficulties a young housekeeper encounters, when she finds herself in reality the mistress of an establishment, the Authoress offers to her young countrywomen this Work, with the belief that, by attention to its contents, many of the cares attendant on a country or city life, may be materially lessened; and hoping that the directions are such as to be understood by the most inexperienced, it is respectfully dedicated to those who feel an interest in domestic affairs.Summary by the Authoress.

Feast of Lights, The

Lazarus, Emma
Volunteers bring you 9 recordings of The Feast of Lights by Emma Lazarus. This was the Weekly Poetry project for December 18, 2011.
Hanukkah, or the Festival of Lights, is the Jewish festival commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem during the 2nd century BCE.
This poem celebrating Hanukkah was written by Emma Lazarus, a Jewish American poet. Emma Lazarus also wrote 'The New Colossus,' a sonnet which is inscribed on a plaque on the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty.

Woman as Decoration

Burbank, Emily
A guide for women to complement their dress to their surroundings, be it in their own home, on outings or on stage.

Reason Why

Robert Kemp Philp
This collection of useful information on "Common Things" is put in the interesting form of "Why and Because," and comprehends a familiar explanation of many subjects which occupy a large space in the philosophy of Nature, relating to air, animals, atmosphere, caloric, chemistry, ventilation, materia medica, meteorology, acoustics, electricity, light, zoölogy, etc.

History of Farming in Ontario

James, C. C.
This is a paper on the history of farming in Ontario. It take the reader through the early settlement from 1783 to the modern period of 1888-1912. We see how farming and farm industries developed and how the population was distributed during these times. We see the trends of settlers moving into the Urban centers instead of rural and how the farm industries (making cheese, butter, wool, etc) move off the farm to the city factories.
Excerpt: “The farmer’s wife in those days was perhaps the most expert master of trades ever known. She could spin and weave, make a carpet or a rug, dye yarns and clothes, and make a straw hat or a birch broom. Butter, cheese, and maple sugar were products of her skill, as well as bread, soap, canned fruits, and home-made wine. In those days the farm was a miniature factory or combination of factories."

What Dress Makes of Us

Quigley, Dorothy
A wickedly funny book of advice on women's dress. However old, fat or plain you are, Dorothy Quigley will tell you what not to wear.

Book of Household Management

Mrs. Isabella Beeton
"Mrs. Beeton's" is a guide to all aspects of running a household in Victorian Britain. Published in 1861, it was an immediate bestseller, running to millions of copies within just a few years. In the cookery sections, Mrs. Beeton follows the animal "from his birth to his appearance on the table.” Learn how to care for poultry during moulting season, how to wean calves, how to cure hams, salt cod, carve mutton, and much more.

Enquire Within Upon Everything

Robert Kemp Philp
Enquire Within Upon Everything was a book of how to do things in domestic life It was first published in 1856 by Houlston and Sons of Paternoster Square in London. Robert Kemp Philp. It was then continuously reprinted in many new and updated editions as additional information and articles were added. The book was created with the intention of providing encyclopedic information on topics as diverse as etiquette, parlour games, cake recipes, laundry tips, holiday preparation and first aid.

Langstroth on the Hive and the Honey-Bee: A Bee Keeper's Manual

Langstroth, L. L.
Langstroth revolutionized the beekeeping industry by using bee space in his top opened hive. In the summer of 1851 he found that, by leaving an even, approximately bee-sized space between the top of the frames holding the honeycomb and the flat coverboard lying above, he was able to quite easily remove the latter, which was normally well cemented to the frames with propolis making separation hard to achieve. Later he had the idea to use this discovery to make the frames themselves easily removable. He found that, if he left a small space (less than 1/4 inch or 6.4 mm) between the combs, or between the combs and the sides of his hives, the bees would fill it with propolis thus cementing the combs into the hive. On the other hand, when he left a larger space (more than 3/8 inch or 9.5 mm) the bees would fill it with comb which had a similar effect.

Culinary Herbs: Their Cultivation, Harvesting, Curing and Uses

Maurice Grenville Kains
This book describes use and care, and growing of herbs for cooking, healing and other interesting miscellaneous information related to herbs.

American Housewife, The

Anonymous
This cookbook and reference guide leads the American Housewife through how to make everything from Meat to Common Drinks, as well as helpful tips and tricks for any housewife! Also included in this fine text are sections on Cooking for The Sick, and how to make your own: Essences, Perfumes, Dyes and Soaps. This work also features an extensive section on The Art of Carving-Which covers anything you might need to carve!

Bits About Home Matters

Jackson, Helen Hunt
This book is a collection of short observations by Helen Hunt Jackson, several with children and parenting as the subject matter.

Food Guide for War Service at Home

Katherine Blunt
"The long war has brought hunger to Europe; some of her peoples stand constantly face to face with starvation. To meet all this great food need in Europe—and meeting it is an imperative military necessity—we must be very careful and economical in our food use here at home. We must eat less; we must waste nothing; we must equalize the distribution of what food we may retain for ourselves; we must prevent extortion and profiteering which make prices so high that the poor cannot buy the food they actually need; and we must try to produce more food. For all this there is needed a "food education" of all our people. For the purpose of diffusing this information this little book has been prepared under the direction of the Food Administration. By following the suggestions for food conservation herein contained every one can render his country an important war service." (Summary excerpted from the Preface by Herbert Hoover)

Entertaining Made Easy

Emily Rose Burt
This book provides the hostess with ideas for parties and games. There are five sections: Socials and Parties, Outdoor Affairs, Birthdays and Other Anniversaries, Announcements and Showers, and Weddings, and within each section are subcategories. Mostly antiquated, being written in the era of WWI, they do provide guidance to what was "normal" back at the turn of the century.

Entertaining Made Easy (Version 2)

Emily Rose Burt
A handy book of ideas for parties, weddings, and wedding showers.

Lives of Two Cats

Pierre Loti
An English translation of Pierre Loti's charming 19th century memoir of his cats.

Christmastide

William Sandys
Christmastide: Its History, Festivities and Carols, With Their Music is a collection of essays detailing the early traditions of Christmas in England. This recording includes the prose portions of the book only (The Vignettes). The earliest Christmas customs from the monarchy to the landed gentry are explored in great detail. The passage of time and the influence of circumstance all had an impact on the customs and importance of holiday traditions. Anyone interested in how the Christmas customs we recognize today, and many long forgotten, will find this book a fascinating piece of history. ( Greg Giordano)

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