A Short History of Private Life
By Bill Bryson
Doubleday, 2010
Comments: Bryson is generally known as a travel writer, at least that's where most of his books are found in the bookstores, but this is something different. Essentially, it's a free-ranging collection of historical stories inspired by the rooms of a house and the objects within them. The conceptual framework for the book is a converted 19th century parsonage in Norfolk, England, where the author and his wife reside. But the house itself is almost inconsequential to the story. Its purpose is simply to guide an exploration of the history and trappings of human habitation. The range of material covered is so broad that it often seems to go well beyond the intended theme, but it's an interesting journey nonetheless, leading through the mundane details of households that we often take for granted. The story provides a new appreciation for the complex social and technological forces that shaped our homes. Among other things, you may never be able to look at a doorknob or a toilet the same way again.
Copy Notes: Hardback, later printing, illustrations
