At Home: A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson
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Summary
At Home: A Short History of Private Life audiobook by Bill Bryson is a book written by Billy Bryson on the history of domestic life, published in the year 2010. Bryson and his family live in a Victorian parsonage. One day Bryson wonders as to how little he knows about the ordinary things in life as he found in his home.He decided to write a history of the world moving from one room to another in his house. The book tackles rooms and areas around Bryson’s house. The author says that no part of the house has fallen further than the hall and that bedrooms are comparatively recent inventions in the grand history of domestic living. He also depicts how houses are built around hearth.
The hallway takes the readers back to the earliest human settlements. The kitchen takes the mind back to the many tales of food adulteration and also highlights the various techniques used for food preservation. The chapter of scullery provides the readers an understanding of the British class system and how the American society became so different from the British.
The author also provides details of the fuse box and the history of lighting. Bryson says that the drawing room is for the entertainment of the visitors and the chapter provides details on the progressing home comforts. The chapter on the dining room discusses mostly about food and its significance. Bryson says that the study is a quieter part of the home. Due to less human visitors in the study, it can be an ideal place for the pets to reside. The chapter on bathroom examines issues of hygiene and cleanliness.