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Posted By : Kuroboshii - 4/29/2008 1:19 AM

Hey, all, I'm just wondering if anyone can recommend a good book on daily life/food/clothing/society in 17/18th century Europe. I'm contemplating a swashbuckling fantasy novel with that general level of technology and society, and if I do attempt it, I want a setting that really comes alive. Info about court dances, styles, superstitions. . .anything you can think of! Books on arms & armor wouldn't hurt either, especially if there's anything with cool info about a soldier's everyday life. I'll probably also pick up something on piracy, given the background of one of my characters. . ..

Thanks!

Sean T. M. Stiennon (AKA Kuroboshii)

Check out my author page at www.sfreader.com/authors/seanstiennon

Posted By : PaulMc - 4/29/2008 11:05 AM

Kuroboshii said...
Hey, all, I'm just wondering if anyone can recommend a good book on daily life/food/clothing/society in 17/18th century Europe. I'm contemplating a swashbuckling fantasy novel with that general level of technology and society, and if I do attempt it, I want a setting that really comes alive. Info about court dances, styles, superstitions. . .anything you can think of! Books on arms & armor wouldn't hurt either, especially if there's anything with cool info about a soldier's everyday life. I'll probably also pick up something on piracy, given the background of one of my characters. . ..

Me, too.

Not the swashbuckler thing, but I find it hard to find mundane day-to-day details of 18th century life unless I actually go to a museum or National Park. Plenty of military data - soldiering and sailing. I find myself hunting for these details for my Doran Coyle character.

While not non-fiction references, some of the Sharpe books and Susanna Clarke's Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell had some good details.

If you want sailing and soldiering circa the American Revolution, there are some very good books by Illustrated Living History. Fully illustrated weapons, uniforms, etc.

www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url?%5Fencoding=UTF8&search-type=ss&index=books&field-author=C.%20Keith%20Wilbur

-- Paul McNamee

My Writings

Posted By : RHFay - 4/29/2008 12:23 PM

Scourge of the Seas by Angus Konstam seems to be a pretty decent book on bucanners, privateers, and pirates. It covers the history as well as dress, motivation, and pirate justice. It also has a lot of illustrations, including reconstructions by some of the usual Osprey artists.

There are many books out there about arms and armour. You may want to look at some of the Osprey Publishing books covering your period of interest. Their quality may vary, but the better ones have period illustrations and photos of actual equipment, as well as colour reconstructiosn by various artists.

"I'm going to do what the warriors of old did. I'm going to recite poetry!"

Richard H. Fay - Azure Lion Productions

http://azurelionproductions.com

Posted By : Steven the Git - 4/29/2008 1:06 PM

I can certainly agree with Scourge of the Seas. An excellent book for pirates and their times.

“Hello, I am William Burton, Head of Recruitment and Integration for the Agency for Peaceful Regulation and Definitive Cooperation of Extraordinary Existence.”

spinetinglers.co.uk Bakemono will not stop!

Posted By : che2000 - 4/29/2008 4:09 PM

I'd also have to recommend the Osprey line, they're slim but good and give a well thought out overview of many different periods. Of course, they are primarily military books and tend not to have a lot of detail on society and/or historical attitudes but they're still a good place to start research.

"That blackguard Flashman, who never speaks to one without a kick or an oath--"

Posted By : Frank - 4/29/2008 6:11 PM

Non-Fiction:

The Handbook to Life in Renaissance Europe by Sandra Sider (mostly cultural reference: politics, religion, some art & architecture stuff)

Daily Life In Renaissance Italy by E. & T. Cohen (sociological reference)

The Civilization of Europe in the Renaissance by John Hale (some stuff about the nitty-gritty of daily life but also a lot about cultural and political attitudes)

Renaissance Europe 1480-1520 by John Hale (mostly sociological)

Daily Life in 18th Century England by Kirstin Olsen (some daily grind stuff)

The Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things by Charles Panati (not 17th or 18th century specific but contains spatterings that include technological innovations of the period you're looking for)

The Evolution of Useful Things by Henry Petroski (I recommend this title, the section about food utensils alone will have you appeciating our modern age so much more)

The Art of Renaissance Warfare by Stephen Turnbull

Weapons & Warfare in Renaissance Europe by Bert Hall

The Renaissance Drill Book by Jacob de Gheyn (period book, believe it or not still in print)

The Medieval Machine by Jean Gimpel (can't recommend this book enough, even though it focuses on AD900-1300, you'll have a much better grasp of technology leading up to the renaissance)

European Weapons & Armor From the Renaissance to the Industrial Revolution by Ewart Oakeshott

The Martial Arts of Renaissance Europe by Sydney Anglo

Fiction:

Girl With A Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier

The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas

any of the works of Patrick O'Brian

Lord Hornblower by C.S. Forester

The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco (and several other works by the same author)

The Agony & the Ecstasy by Irving Stone

Niccolo Rising by Dorothy Dunnett

Journal of the Plague Year by Daniel Defoe

The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio

Posted By : Anthony G Williams - 4/30/2008 4:55 AM

Wow - that's an impressive list, Frank!

Now all that anyone has to do is to locate them all, then find a few months to read and absorb them all...

Tony Williams
Scales (2007), The Foresight War (2004)
Homepage: http://www.quarry.nildram.co.uk

SFF Blog: http://sciencefictionfantasy.blogspot.com/

Posted By : Kuroboshii - 5/2/2008 1:11 AM

Many thanks, Frank! Exactly what I was looking for. Now I just need to track down a few titles. . ..

I'll also give Scourge of the Seas a look, and possibly see what the Osprey series offers. . .I've read Osprey books before, and they haven't failed me yet.

Thanks again!

Sean T. M. Stiennon (AKA Kuroboshii)

Check out my author page at www.sfreader.com/authors/seanstiennon

Posted By : Frank - 5/3/2008 12:04 PM

The Men At Arms series from Osprey is a goldmine of information, and probably you're best bet as a quick reference source for military history, especially concerning weapons, armor/uniforms and other soldier gear. The problem with the Osprey books is that they're expensive for their size, usually under a hundred pages each with a publisher's price of $15.95, which I think is outrageous for what is essentially a perfect-bound pamflet. The series has been around for over thirty years, I remember using them as reference for creating D&D campaigns in the 80s. I wish they'd lower the price, at least on the oldest titles, or create omnibus editions or boxed sets. I'd buy them up in a pinch. There are now over 400 titles in this series alone, and Osprey publishes many other books on military history. (Leave it to the British, heehee...)

Posted By : RHFay - 5/3/2008 2:45 PM

I don't mind paying the price they ask for Osprey books because of their extensive use of illustrations. And the better ones have photos of actual arms and armour and period illustrations. I don't think you'll find much with comparable illustrations at a lower price.

Then again, I am a very visual person.

"I'm going to do what the warriors of old did. I'm going to recite poetry!"

Richard H. Fay - Azure Lion Productions

http://azurelionproductions.com

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