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This was an era rich in social history -- from the Industrial Revolution, to the rise of scientific theories, to the advent of secularism and the separation of Church and State -- understanding the Victorian period is no easy task.
1. Jan Morris: ''The Pax Britannica Trilogy''. This series is regarded as one of the most comprehensive and readable histories of the progress and fall of the British Empire. The series is divided into three books, in the following order: <br />
''Heaven’s Command: An Imperial Progress''
''Farewell the Trumpets: An Imperial Retreat''
2. Henry Mayhew: ''London Labour and the London Poor'' – This four volume work by social theorist Henry Mayhew is full of rich and accurate accounts of what life was like for the "down and out " (the poor and working classes) in Victorian London. Mayhew interviewed everyone from small shop owners to prostitutes to pure-finders (those who collected dog poop for money). This work has been annotated into a 512-page single work as well.
3. Bernard Lightman: ''Victorian Science in Context'' – Science was an extremely important part of life in Victorian England. New scientific discoveries were being made almost daily, and due to fewer taxes on publishing, newspapers were affordable to almost everyone.
