DK condensed version of the National Trust book of the same title... - Rated 
....with an updated introduction.
`Forgotten Household Crafts, recaptures the self-sufficient life of a bygone age.'
From the introduction:-
`..this book describes the art of housewifery through the ages, buy it is not just a `museum on paper'. Many of the activities may be seldom practised nowadays - some of them are sadly dead and gone - but many of them are living activities and several of the skills that seemed to be dying are now being revived, for many people have passed right through the pimply-adolescent stage of post-industrial civilisation.
They have tired of the take-away way of living and the machines-for-living way of living.....this book records the past, and that in itself can be quite a useful thing, but it has been written also to inspire and instruct us for the future. For I am convinced that the future does not lie in the direction of fish fingers, and telly snacks, and `Formica' and other plastic rubbish.
It lies in the recreation of the real homes......'
Written with the typical John Seymour charm, this delightful book of forgotten skills is illustrated throughout in black and white.
A marvellous source for school projects when Grandma's recollections are not enough to fill two A4 sheets - but, overall, it makes us realise just how lucky we are that technology has answered some of the more arduous of chores, especially in the Laundry Craft section:-
`In these days of turbo-boost washing machines and tumble driers, it is difficult to appreciate just how arduous doing the laundry was in the last century. Washing machines were not generally available until the 1880s and even then much energy was required to operate them, as they were hand cranked. In most households, a day of the week, usually Monday, was set aside for doing the washing and the housewife devoted the whole day to soaking, pounding, rubbing, boiling, starching, rinsing and drying the family's linen. She was lucky if she could fit in the ironing, as well...'
followed by sections entitled:-
Drawing Water
Making Lye and Soap
Washing Linen
Drying Linen
Pressing Linen
Dyeing
256 high quality matt pages, split over 6 main chapters:-
Kitchen Crafts
Dairy Crafts
Laundry Crafts
Around the Home
Textile Crafts
Decorative Crafts
each sub-divided into sections, plus the introduction and index.
Sections include:-
Cooking
Salting and Pickling
Drying & Smoking
Preserves & Confectionery
Washing Up
Ale and Beer Making
Butter and Cheese Making
Making Ice Cream
Linen inc. `Wringing & Mangling', `Peg Making' & `Ironing'
Bathing & The Jakes inc. `The Privy'
Heating & Lighting
Chimney Sweeping
Spinning
Lace Making
Smocking
Knitting/Crochet
Stencilling
Festivals & Decorations
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