Lucy Lethbridge – författare

'Hugely enjoyable' - Kathryn Hughes, GuardianGlorious ... Full of eyebrow-raising and laughter-inducing vignettes' - Daily TelegraphServants is the social history of the last century through the eyes of those who served. From the butler, the footman, the maid and the cook of 1900 to the au pairs, cleaners and childminders who took their place seventy years later, a previously unheard class offers a fresh perspective on a dramatic century. Here, the voices of servants and domestic staff are at last brought to life: their daily household routines, attitudes towards their employers, and to each other, throw into sharp and intimate relief the period of feverish social change through which they lived. Sweeping in its scope, extensively researched and brilliantly observed, Servants is an original and fascinating portrait of twentieth-century Britain; an authoritative history that will change and challenge the way we look at society.

The remarkable story of Florence Nightingale, from her privileged childhood to the horrors of her work in the Crimea and as a hospital reformer. Retold in a lively, vivid style with evocative, full colour pictures and links to recommended websites to find out more. Part of Young Reading Series 3 for fully confident readers.Chapters in this book include:- A defiant daughter- The voice of God?- Fighting Fanny- Florence takes charge- Hell on earth- Fame- Working flat out- Nurse Nightingale - My Life

''Hugely enjoyable'' - Kathryn Hughes, GuardianGlorious ... Full of eyebrow-raising and laughter-inducing vignettes'' - Daily TelegraphServants is the social history of the last century through the eyes of those who served. From the butler, the footman, the maid and the cook of 1900 to the au pairs, cleaners and childminders who took their place seventy years later, a previously unheard class offers a fresh perspective on a dramatic century. Here, the voices of servants and domestic staff are at last brought to life: their daily household routines, attitudes towards their employers, and to each other, throw into sharp and intimate relief the period of feverish social change through which they lived. Sweeping in its scope, extensively researched and brilliantly observed, Servants is an original and fascinating portrait of twentieth-century Britain; an authoritative history that will change and challenge the way we look at society.

*FOYLES NON-FICTION BOOK OF THE MONTH*''I really can''t recommend this enough - especially if you are going on holiday'' Tom Holland''Delightful ... Lucy Lethbridge has written a glorious romp of a book'' Kathryn Hughes, The Mail on Sunday''It is the paramount wish of every English heart, ever addicted to vagabondizing, to hasten to the Continent…''In 1815 the Battle of Waterloo brought to an end the Napoleonic Wars and the European continent opened up once again to British tourists. The nineteenth century was to be an age driven by steam technology, mass-industrialisation and movement, and, in the footsteps of the Grand Tourists a hundred years earlier, the British middle-classes flocked to Europe to see the sights.In Tourists, the voices of these travellers – puzzled, shocked, delighted and amazed – are brought vividly to life. From the discomfort of the stagecoach to the ''self-contained pleasure palace'' of the beach resort, Lucy Lethbridge brilliantly examines two centuries of tourists'' experience. Among a range of disparate characters, we meet the commercial titans of Victorian tourism, Albert Smith, Henry Gaze and Thomas Cook, as well as their successor, Vladimir Raitz, the creator of the modern beach holiday. The growth of popular tourism introduced new markets in guidebooks, souvenirs, cuisine and health cures. It smoothed over class differences but also exacerbated them. It destroyed traditional cultures while at the same time preserving them.From portable cameras to postcards and suntans, Tourists explores how tourism has reflected changing attitudes to modernity and how, from the grand hotel to the campsite, the foreign holiday exposes deep fears, hopes and even longings for home.

*FOYLES NON-FICTION BOOK OF THE MONTH*'I really can't recommend this enough - especially if you are going on holiday' Tom Holland'Delightful ... Lucy Lethbridge has written a glorious romp of a book' Kathryn Hughes, The Mail on Sunday‘It is the paramount wish of every English heart, ever addicted to vagabondizing, to hasten to the Continent…’In 1815 the Battle of Waterloo brought to an end the Napoleonic Wars and the European continent opened up once again to British tourists. The nineteenth century was to be an age driven by steam technology, mass-industrialisation and movement, and, in the footsteps of the Grand Tourists a hundred years earlier, the British middle-classes flocked to Europe to see the sights.In Tourists, the voices of these travellers – puzzled, shocked, delighted and amazed – are brought vividly to life. From the discomfort of the stagecoach to the ‘self-contained pleasure palace’ of the beach resort, Lucy Lethbridge brilliantly examines two centuries of tourists’ experience. Among a range of disparate characters, we meet the commercial titans of Victorian tourism, Albert Smith, Henry Gaze and Thomas Cook, as well as their successor, Vladimir Raitz, the creator of the modern beach holiday. The growth of popular tourism introduced new markets in guidebooks, souvenirs, cuisine and health cures. It smoothed over class differences but also exacerbated them. It destroyed traditional cultures while at the same time preserving them.From portable cameras to postcards and suntans, Tourists explores how tourism has reflected changing attitudes to modernity and how, from the grand hotel to the campsite, the foreign holiday exposes deep fears, hopes and even longings for home.

In the late nineteenth century, general housework in the British home was so labour intensive that it required an army of servants to undertake it. Since then, the ways in which we look after our homes may have changed dramatically but the best and simplest of methods from that time still work for us today.From floor to ceiling, and leaving no awkward corner untouched, here are the tricks and techniques that generations once took for granted, distilled for modern use: how to get rid of water marks or heat rings on polished wood; the antibacterial qualities of simple vinegar; the damp cloth versus the dry duster; and using lemon juice to clear limescale. Combining fascinating ''below-stairs'' social history with startling facts and useful tips, Lucy Lethbridge restores fast-disappearing skills to keep at bay dust, rust, mildew, stains and pests. Here, beautifully illustrated and entertainingly presented, are a bygone era''s keys to a clean house.

*FOYLES NON-FICTION BOOK OF THE MONTH*''I really can''t recommend this enough - especially if you are going on holiday'' Tom Holland''Delightful ... Lucy Lethbridge has written a glorious romp of a book'' Kathryn Hughes, The Mail on Sunday''It is the paramount wish of every English heart, ever addicted to vagabondizing, to hasten to the Continent…''In 1815 the Battle of Waterloo brought to an end the Napoleonic Wars and the European continent opened up once again to British tourists. The nineteenth century was to be an age driven by steam technology, mass-industrialisation and movement, and, in the footsteps of the Grand Tourists a hundred years earlier, the British middle-classes flocked to Europe to see the sights.In Tourists, the voices of these travellers – puzzled, shocked, delighted and amazed – are brought vividly to life. From the discomfort of the stagecoach to the ''self-contained pleasure palace'' of the beach resort, Lucy Lethbridge brilliantly examines two centuries of tourists'' experience. Among a range of disparate characters, we meet the commercial titans of Victorian tourism, Albert Smith, Henry Gaze and Thomas Cook, as well as their successor, Vladimir Raitz, the creator of the modern beach holiday. The growth of popular tourism introduced new markets in guidebooks, souvenirs, cuisine and health cures. It smoothed over class differences but also exacerbated them. It destroyed traditional cultures while at the same time preserving them.From portable cameras to postcards and suntans, Tourists explores how tourism has reflected changing attitudes to modernity and how, from the grand hotel to the campsite, the foreign holiday exposes deep fears, hopes and even longings for home.

Daughter of the famous romantic poet Lord Byron, Ada Lovelace was a child prodigy. Brilliant at maths, she read numbers like most people read words.Lady Byron wanted Ada to be as unlike her father as possible. Ada grew up surrounded by an army of tutors who taught her every subject every waking moment, except for poetry.In 1843 Ada came to the attention of Charles Babbage, a scientist and inventor who had just built a miraculous machine called the ‘Difference Engine’. Ada and Mr Babbage started working together – a perfect partnership which led to the most important invention of the modern world: the computer! Short Books is re-releasing some of its finest writing as a newly designed series of six children’s biographies called The Great Victorians. These are entertaining and engaging stories of some of history’s most fascinating characters. They tell history in a novelistic, engaging way, a halfway house between storybooks and traditional history. There is abundant humour and drama too.With beautifully designed covers these books will catch the eyes of parents as well as children. Also published in a highly collectable set.

Annie was seven years old when her mother sent her away to work. They were just to poor to keep her at home. But this little girl had a very special talent. She could shoot better than anyone. By fourteen she was keeping her family alive. But who could have guessed that Annie would become internationally famous.