The impacts of the Industrial Revolution were not limited to mechanisms of travel like steamships and railroads, mass production in factories, or movement of people from country to town. Every aspect of a housewife's life underwent massive changes in an acutely short period of time given the long, slow evolution of "housework." In addition to its exploration of historical events and inventions, the book also raises important questions about the nature of progress and its impact on human well-being. Goodman reflects on the benefits and drawbacks of modernity, as well as the ways in which technological innovation can both empower and disenfranchise individuals and communities.

This book brings history you didn't know you wanted to know right to you. Sometimes there is knowledge out there you didn't even think about learning then you start reading a book and are glad you did. This book is such a book. There is some great history in this book. If you enjoy history and learning all you can as I do this is the book for you. It is well written and you'll find some interesting historical knowledge perhaps you never thought about before. If you are a cook and think about how this has evolved this is a great book for you to read as well. During the Victorian time, the black cast-iron stove or range was introduced. It was a big deal and while it took time for everyone to have them it marked an important start to changing everything for Victorian homes.

This book was much drier than I expected, a real disappointment. Though I was very excited about it, it didn't live up to my expectations. It really was not what I expected at all.

This book is a super thoroughly researched, very detailed book about all kinds of changes (some improvements, some not) that affected the domestic sphere of people. It covers changes from wood to coal and other sources of fuel, to the changes in land use and types of tools, equipment, and other things inside homes as life changed.

It was very interesting, and I don't think there's anything else quite like it published in such a compliation, but you have to be prepared to read a TON of detail and lists, surveys, and other portions of documents. This is not a light read.

Four stars because if you want such super detailed information, such as if you were writing a research paper, you'd find it worth 5 stars, but if you were looking for something more accessible to the casual reader, it would be more like 3 stars as it is just too in-depth.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

I'm not exactly how this title made me decide I wanted to read a book about the history of coal stoves, something I've never given any thought to before, but then I couldn't put it down.

Goodman starts with forestry, shares all sorts of facts about the coal industry, shows us how coal reshaped our homes and our furnishings, and how coal shifted the way we eat. Her breadth of knowledge is incredible and her lived experience with the topic makes it fascinating.

I had no idea she's a celebrity historian with a TV series behind her, but reading this makes it clear why. As soon as I finished this I picked up two of her previous books, which were just as interesting and enjoyable to read.

The lives of ordinary people can change the world. The domestic lives of those who history tends to ignore in favor of battles and grand conquests can, and does, influence far more than one might imagine. This is Ruth Goodman's premise in The Domestic Revolution: How the Introduction of Coal into Victorian Homes Changed Everything. And she makes a more than convincing argument that the switch from wood burning to coal burning in England, starting around 1600 (despite the subtitle crediting the Victorians) did in fact change everything in Britain. Goodman specializes in living history and has decades of personal experience in wood burning and coal burning- how to burn, how to cook, and how to clean- that she shares to help flesh out the changes she describes.

Goodman introduces readers to the changing methods of heating homes and cooking by describing how peat, animal dung, wood, and coal all burn differently in a slightly tedious (yet still surprisingly interesting) beginning chapter. Things pick up after that as she explains how homes and furniture changed due to changing heating methods, from rushes and pallets to high standing beds and chairs. The unique British foods like puddings, boiled everything, and mushy peas are explained through a surprisingly simple answer: coal fires and wood fires cook foods differently. Cleaning homes and laundry are gone into in fascinating detail. This all might sound boring to some, but I found it fascinating. This detailed look into the lives of ordinary people- especially the women and servants who rarely left written accounts and whose lives must be guessed at through different approaches- gave me a great appreciation for what it would have been like to live in Britain in the past few centuries.

The Domestic Revolution is a fascinating, well-researched, and well-written book that will appeal to historians, students, casual readers, and anyone interested in how the lives of ordinary people changed with the popularizing of coal burning fires.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

A comprehensive view of the impact of coal in the domestic environment. The transition from wood to coal was a significant advancement in some ways, but a tedious challenge in others. While the first three chapters were necessary to describe wood burning, peat and other methods of producing heat for home use, my interest did not peak until after chapter 4 when the author’s claims of the extent of coal’s influence on domestic life were finally explained. Previously, I did not connect the development of such industries as Soap making with the advent of coal in the home. The alterations in cooking methods was also a new construct. In any case, a historical and social analysis of a commodity such as coal is always a favorite science and technology read for me.

The History of Home Fuel in Britain
The is a wonderful history of fuel in Britain. The different substances; dung, peat, and wood, and how they were managed. It is hard to imagine how forests, bogs, and pastures have been managed for the last 4000 years so that they still exist today. But the uneven heat for cooking made that endeavor difficult. Many times you had to choose between a cooked meal and a warm house. With the advent of coal, it was easier to maintain constant and long-lasting heat. Not only could one cook well and often, but the house could also be kept warm. This is an excellent source for those wanting a primer on how to cook what over different kinds of fuel and what sorts of cookery to use. It is a fun story to read and imagine living in those times. Plenty of this information will be handy to preppers or those new to camp out cooking. There are plenty of drawings and a few photos that really add to the story. The author goes into great detail about how the source of heat changed the architecture and layout of buildings. It is very surprising how many parts of life in addition to cooking were influenced and changed by the source and usage of fuel. It also provides a woman's point of view that is seriously lacking in that era. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.

This book makes me appreciate that I live today, and marvel at what my ancestors did every day in their ordinary day-to-day lives. This is a very interesting book about progress. (I also wonder what my descendants will think about my life!)

Ruth Goodman’s books are amazing not only because she’s done the research, but because she’s lived the history. No, she’s not immortal or a time-traveler, Goodman’s spent her career trying out historical methods of living to see how they work. Because of her unique perspective, Goodman adds to the conversation about the domestic revolution and how it influenced all of society.

The choice made by regular people to switch from wood-fire to coal had multiple domino effects in society. Reading nonfiction does not come naturally to me, so I struggled through the first half, but I stayed with it because of the amazing anecdotes Goodman writes which give a practical human account of what it’s like to cook with over a dung fire or to clean laundry with wood ash and lye. The second half of the book pulled me in more and I was fascinated by the effects switching to coal had on cooking and what meals and methods were used, and the impact it had on cleaning. The Domestic Revolution shows that Goodman’s practical knowledge about history goes beyond telling readers how people lived in a certain era, it also can add to academic conversations by elevating the perspectives of everyday men and women in history whose choices in daily life affected society, but whose voices are rarely heard.

Such an interesting and highly readable work of nonfiction by one of the most prolific historical nonfiction writers of her generation. The domestic revolution is about the evolution of heating your home and other various buildings from wood to coal. She also goes into immense detail of actually cutting the wood and how that was the primary way of heat for hundreds of years and how all of that changed. If this sounds boring please believe that the way Goodman writes this a very fascinating journey through history. Highly recommend.

Loved Ruth Hamilton books How to be a Victorian was fascinating informative eye opening.The domestic revolution another book that taught us how cooking evolved over time from fire to coal to stove top cooking,Women ran the kutchen they were the cooks and seeing the advancements through their eyes kept me turning thee pages .I know I will be reading more books by Ruth Goodman learning from them and recommending her booksto my friends,