Recently I recieved a package of books in the post. They were sent by my lovely parents and I thought it would make a good post by doing a review of them.
I grew up in house with lots of brothers and sisters and now I am a mother myself, I realise just how difficult it must have been for my parents. My childhood wasn't without its problems but whose was? I have my parents to thank for an awful lot of things that shape who I am today. With loads of kids, money was tight but my mum and dad still planned days out that were fun but gave us some culture too. They would also drag us out in all weathers for picnics, walks in the country and blackberry picking. Some of my favourite memories are on damp drizzly days, holding a margarine tub for my blackberries and wetting myself at some member of the family who had just fallen in a ditch and got stung by nettles because they were determined to reach the big blackberries at the top of the bush.
The best thing my parents gave me, however, was a love of books. The tv wasn't allowed on before tea, so weekends were spent listening to the local radio and reading. This left me with a vivid imagination, an extensive knowledge of songs from the fifties onwards and a deep love of books. Books that ranged from crime fiction, to factual books and biographies, to the gentle humour of Thelwelll and the Scottish "Broons".
The books they gave me this time are factual and all about the fifties, perfect! So here is my review;
First however, I have noticed on other blogs that reviews of products come with disclaimers. Just another sad reminder of the "Sue everyone and everything" culture we live in, so here is mine: all views expressed in this blog are entirely my own and are not influenced by anyone living or dead, especially the authors of the books, their families, dogs, cats and goldfish. There, that should cover it.
As you can see I have quite a stash. Firstly a word on the cover design. They are well thought out and have the charm and feel of the decade they are specialising on, and I ask you, what vintage nut would not want to read and display these beauties?
This book is just lovely, it's cover reminds me of the fabric designs that were so popular at the time. The book itself covers all aspects of the home, from the buildings themselves to smallest details inside. I especially loved the section on space, that showed the fantastic space saving ways of arranging the home. As with all the books, there are photographs and illustrations galore. They even cover prefabs, because a lot of people were still living in them, but this didn't mean you couldn't be up to date on your fabrics and soft furnishings and some beautiful original advertisements are reprinted to show just how much emphasis was put on dragging your home out of the war years and filling it with bright bold colours and design.
These two books focus on the interior of the home. The modern design one is very interesting, it talks about the new cutting edge designs that were more streamlined and less fussy than the previous decade. Again there are lovely pictures of the bold novelty print fabrics along with ideas of paint colours to give your home a more modern look even if the furniture is out of your budget. G plan features a lot and its influence even creeps into the bedroom. These pieces of furniture were meant to be more affordable as well as adaptable to any home. The bit I found most interesting though was reading about how us Brits didn't take to the new modern designs quite as quickly as the Americans. The uncertainty of the war years meant were slightly more suspicious of the new looks and clung on to our clutter and knick knacks for just a bit longer.
The kitchen book is a gem and focuses on the new labour saving devices that were springing up, with adverts making us wonder how on earth we managed without them for so long. Each advert comes with its own immaculately groomed, white toothed housewife gazing adoringly at the new gadget her adoring and gallant husband has just purchased for her. How times have changed, if a wife was presented with a new blender today, her husband will most probably find divorce papers stapled to his head rather than a kiss planted there! I, however want every item advertised in these books, the design is gorgeous, even the food mixer is truly beautiful to look at and I would be grinning from ear to ear too while I made a cake mix in one.
Which brings me on to this gem. I have been determined for a while to eat more like people did in the forties and fifties, I figure that not as many people were overweight back then and I'm curious to see if I can lose weight by eating more basic and wholesome foods. As a child I was ridiculously fussy ( I can imagine my parents nodding vigorously) but have made up for it in later life by being a bit of a dustbin. This book is crammed with every sort of food you could imagine. There are sauces, side dishes, desserts, soups and main meals. It covers fine dining and has recipes for the best basics such as steak pie to the ridiculously showy shrimp and eggs in aspic, ( not to sure I will be trying that one) there are so many that I will easily be able to have a varied diet based on this one book alone. I will let you know how I get on with it.
All in all, these books are wonderful and as well as giving me knowledge, they will also give me ideas as I recreate a home and lifestyle from the past. So an enormous thank you to my rather wonderful parents, I can bore you even more now on all things vintage!
Till next time dears xx
