Sarah Warwick

The backstory: My obsession with/love of Downton Abbey has inspired me to learn more about the period and customs of British country homes at that time.

The basics: Upstairs & Downstairs: An Illustrated Guide to the Real World of Downton Abbey is part nonfiction, part coffee table book about typical life in an Edwardian country home.

My thoughts: Most of what I know about this time, I've learned from Downton Abbey. I was curious to learn more about the time, in part to better assess how true Downton is to history. Upstairs & Downstairs was an informative, engaging look into life at the time. Divided into sections based on a typical day. This structure allowed author Sarah Warwick to examine the roles of those upstairs and downstairs simultaneously.

There was much that was familiar from Downton, but I also learned many things that added more nuance to my understanding of the servant's roles on the show. What I enjoyed most about this book, however, were the pictures and illustrations. Visually, the book is both beautiful and fascinating. Through a combination of photographs from the time, drawings, and diagrams, I gained much appreciation for the visual elements on Downton. Ultimately, the visuals in this book are the most enjoyable pieces, but the extensive outline of the general roles, qualifications and pay for servants was quite illuminating.

The verdict: If you're already familiar with the historical detail of this period, there likely isn't much new here. If, however, you want to learn more about the period and its customs, Upstairs & Downstairs is a visually interesting, informative work.… (meer)