Primary Research

As an author of historical romance I strive to add as much historical detail in my books as I can. Some books get more detail than others, and sometimes an author needs to bend history to her will — just a little bit. It’s one of the hardest parts of writing historical romance, because an author owes her readers accuracy, but how much? Readers don’t really want to read about the diseases and the dirt, do they? I don’t. I don’t want to know that in the real 19th century my hero and heroine might not live to see 50, or that she might end up having so many children it wears her out. I want the fantasy.

And that’s where it gets tricky.

As an author you use your judgment and do the best research you can to make aspects of your novel come to live, and to perhaps make up for the parts that you really need to smudge to make the reading experience an enjoyable one. I have tons of books on 19th century England, Victorian morals and manners, and of course, clothing. But no amount of books about this time period can replace materials actually from that time period.

So, I thought I’d share with you the cover from one of my prized possessions — the May 1877 edition of Lady Godey’s Book. I managed to snag this one with the color fashion plate intact. It’s a little beat up, but I got it for a steal on ebay. It’s one of three original Victorian magazines I own, and includes such pleasers as:

• Modes of Cook Eggs
• Infant’s Knitted Boot
• Sketches of Travel in Scotland by Horatio King
• My Trials at Housekeeping by Rosalie Collins
• Independent March (music composed and arranged for the piano-forte for Godey’s Lady’s Book)
• Godey’s Fashions for May 1877

And much, much more! The type is so tiny I can’t imagine reading it by anything other than direct sunlight, although I’m certain my copy saw its fair share of lamp-light viewing. But it’s such a wonderful piece of Victorian life that it’s one of my most precious research tools, right down to the advertisement for “$12 a day at home. Agents wanted. Outfit and terms free. True & Co., Augusta Maine.” True & Co. was a publishing company. From what I gather they did a lot of prints, but to me this ad smacks of what we see today on the internet and in the back of modern magazines — ads looking for people to work from home with the promise of making big bucks hawking someone else’s wares.

I guess the more things change, the more they really do stay the same!

research | No comments | Print This Post