Victorian Books

This is an ideal publication for those dolls' house enthusiasts who enjoy making their own furniture and accessories. The instructions are clear and easy to follow, with required materials being easy to obtain. Beautifully illustrated, this book is enjoyable to read and gives inspiration to make your dolls' house into a unique possession.

I bought this book based on reviews, but was very disappointed. It is filled with simplistic projects that produce crude results, not likely to satisfy the modern sophisticated dollhouse collector. The description of daily activities in a Victorian home is mildly interesting, but nothing you will not already know if you collect miniatures. Basically, the author sounds like a nice lady, but the book is a waste of money and time.

The book 'Victorian Dolls' House Projects: A Day in the Life' by Christiane Berridge, is to me, one of the most interesting books I have ever purchased on the Victorian Dolls' House era. Her down-to-earth manner of explaining things and making use of every-day items in and around your home, are all you will need to further enthuse you in creating items for your hobby. Christiane, thank you so much for sharing your knowledge!

The projects in this book are great and are suited to beginner doll house enthusiasts or more experienced. The information about Victorian life is presented in an interesting way, looking at how a typical Victorian day progresses from early morning to night, with interesting and fairly simple projects to accompany the text. Highly recommended for anyone aiming for a Victorian doll house!

Loved the book. I always enjoy books with projects in them. I've already put some the instructions to use. Loved the pictures and the directions.

If you are interested in the Victorian era, this is a thorough and comprehensive study of the period. A classic!

This book could just as well be called The Modern Frame of Mind or more generally The Western Frame of Mind for the issues that perplexed and divided the Victorians have always perplexed and divided westerners and continue to do so. Religion and Science have never been compatible realms of thought and western civilization has always been marked by an unresolved tension between the two. The eighteenth-century is often refered to as the Age of Reason but reason alone does not fulfill all of mans needs and the Romantic period that followed marked a return to faith and feeling. The Victorian Age is marked by a restless search to find a balance between the reasoning head and the feeling heart and soul. Houghton sees the English as a very pragmatic people and though he is careful to show that on no issue did any two Victorians think alike, he does show that the English shared certain habits of mind. Houghton does not mention Nationalism by name but that word was constantly in my mind as I read this book for Houghton shows that the English were aware that they shared certain characteristics with each other which made them distinct from say the French. After 1789 the English saw the French as nation destroyers while they saw themselves as nation builders -- the fact that they defeated the French and presided over the building of the largest empire the world had ever known made them acutely aware that they were part of a special breed. The most famous men of the age did not merely speak to the English masses but preached to them -- and that tone and style of speaking is perhaps even more important and revealing than the actual substance of what they were saying for the English felt they were on a mission. Precislely what kind of mission they were on was impossible to say with any certainty but for a spell the Victorians felt they were a model nation and thus the nation in the best position to mold other nations. This confidence or arrogance peaked around mid-century and by centuries end Englands moment had passed as other nations(USA & Germany) began to dominate the world stage. Historians explain empires in a number of ways, Houghton however is not the kind of historian to make any sweeping generalizations. How such a small island nation could come to rule the globe is something he never tries to answer. He confines himself to analyzing the Victorians patterns of thought for it is the Victorian personality that captures his interest. This is the kind of thoroughly researched book(Houghton quotes from every major text of the era) that gives you a look into the workings of a half dozen exemplary personalities and how they worked through the issues of the day for themselves. Houghton gives extended consideration to the works of Carlyle, Ruskin,Arnold, Mill, Tennyson, Browning, Dickens, &Eliot but he quotes from other lesser lights as well. My personal favorite from this era is John Stuart Mill and the man who introduced the pragmatic Victorians to French Fiction, Walter Pater. Houghton's strength is when he concentrates on the men and women of letters but he is slightly less successful when he deals with what life was like for the average Victorian. Houghton portrays the English as a people in search of a creed and the writers of the age as men who tried to fashion a creed for them. For me the men of letters come across loud and clear but I wanted more concerning the life of the common man and woman ie how many Victorians actually read Carlyle, Arnold etc.....

Also recommended: Asa Brigg's Age of Improvement(this classic scholarly 500 page book is especially good at dealing with economics, social dynamics, and the goings-on within Parliament) & G.M. Young's Portrait of an Age(this 200 page book especially good at giving you an overview of the entire age-- Young's approach is less scholarly than modern students might be used to but he integrates a lot of information into a short and immensely readable book).

I was recommended by a professor in the university to read this book (I am a student studying Victorian Literature) in the first place, and after reading it, I found this book so informative and easy-to-read that it has now become one of my 'handbook' for the Victorian era. This book tells you in nearly every aspect but in a very concise way how the Victorians back then think and believe. I personally think that this is more than just a book about some history and facts of the people living in the 19th century England. Upon reading it, readers will surely be able to appreciate the works of those Victorian writers/poets more because they can then really comprehend how the Victorians' lives and beliefs were like, and how and why they would behave the way they did, and most important of all, that they were not as old-fashioned and conservative as contemporary people think they were.

First published in 1957 with the intent to show some of the roots of the "modern mind" (which was then still recovering from McCarthyism), Walter Houghton's book more than accomplishes its stated goals. THE VICTORIAN FRAME OF MIND is divided in to three parts in which Houghton examines Victorian emotional, intellectual and moral attitudes. He bases these discussions on the premise that 1830-1870 was an "age of transition," and that the Victorian English were the first to think of their own time as "an era of change FROM the past TO the future."

The Victorians found the pace of their life compared to that of their grandfathers to be inordinately fast, they both lamented and welcomed the breakdown of old regimes and the coming into its own of the Industrial Revolution. Darwin's theory of evolution made thousands of them quake in their boots--even though so many of them were raised on a wrathful God more than a loving God, the prospect of no God at all sent many running for the metaphorical hills. Throughout the book, Houghton extensively quotes the Victorians themselves (e.g. Ruskin, Arnold, Carlyle, Charles Kingsley) and it is shocking and uncanny how many times what was written a good 150 years ago resembles what you might find in the press and literature of today. This from 1851: "everybody has his own little ISM . . . by which the country can be saved." How about this line from Carlyle's PAST AND PRESENT: "we have profoundly forgotten everywhere that Cash-payment is not the sole relation of human beings."

A key to understanding how Victorians thought about themselves and their world, Houghton points out, lies in accepting the many contradictions and tensions of the age, most importantly their overwhelming optimism balanced against their high level of anxiety. Of the book's fourteen chapters, particularly interesting and provocative are those on "The Critical Spirit--and The Will to Believe," "The Commercial Spirit," "Dogmatism," and "Hypocrisy."

Houghton admits from the start that he's out for the "general sense" of how people thought, and he narrows his purview even further to the literate classes. He therefore makes many sweeping statements that could still meet with criticism--even with the quotations he provides from the writers of the time. THE VICTORIAN FRAME OF MIND is still a useful background text for scholars, though it might put off those with ISMs on their shoulders. Moreover, it is a rich and engaging book for the student or amateur of the Victorian era, which, while different in several important ways from our own American society, is all too eerily similar when you come right down to it. Highly recommended!

I am currently studying the Victorian period and bought this book hoping to explore, in greater depth, the social aspects of the Victorian culture. This book has a more philisophical approach than I expected or would have preferred. I did not get a clear picture of the social dynamic of the victorian people - rather I had questions thrown at me left and right: is there a god; are humans naturally good or bad and on and on. These are not things that interest me and reading about them was certainly not my objective in selecting this book. This book is great if you're interested in philisophy and and you'd like to explore mindsets of different periods. I was hoping to read about social issues: the way Victorians were affected by them and how they lived as a result. This book - as is the case with many philisophical books - gives more questions than answers. The author's style of writing was also a turn off - he quoted too much and the things he quoted were unnecessary: he could have easily used his own words and spared me the agony of realizing that I was sifting through a bunch of verbose crap. The only reason that I am so negative about this book is because I have seen better and I expectged more of this book. For my purposes this book was unhelpful and a waste of time. Many of the philisophical points made are ones that would logically be attributed to these people when learning the social history of the Victrian era. It is not necessary to read this book to grasp the Victorian mindset. This book is good for people who enjoy a philisophical format.

this collection contains a good deal of godd ghost stories, like an eddy on the floor and the shadow on the wall, making it a worthwhile read. old fashioned ghost stories. silent, subtle, growing on you. why only three stars? well, the uninteresting stories in the collections are really uninteresting. sometimes i don't see the interest at all. but you should still buy this.

For the sake of atmosphere, read "Victorian Ghost Stories" with a candle to light your way through its mysterious passages.

A very large candle.

There are thirty-five stories within its four-hundred-and-eighty-nine pages, and you must read them all before dawn.

Actually, you should savor this supernatural feast one story at a time. Its editors, who are both scholars of occult literature, collected the best of the best from the Golden Age of ghost story writing. If you are already a reader of the phantasmagoric, some of the anthology will be familiar, e.g. "An Account of Some Strange Disturbances in Aungier Street," "The Romance of Certain Old Clothes," or "John Charrington's Wedding."

There are also lesser-known tales of vengeful ghosts, haunted houses, and "things in a dead man's eye," the latter courtesy of Rudyard Kipling's "At the End of the Passage."

According to the editors' introduction, one of their aims for this anthology was to "map out the development of the Victorian ghost story from circa 1850...it is in the 1850s that the distinct, anti-Gothic character of the Victorian ghost story begins to emerge." Which is not to say that the Gothic emphasis on moldering sepulchres is altogether missing. Try "The Tomb of Sarah" by F. G. Loring, whose story begins with the memorial inscription:

"SARAH. 1630. FOR THE SAKE OF THE DEAD AND THE WELFARE OF THE LIVING, LET THIS SEPULCHRE REMAIN UNTOUCHED AND ITS OCCUPANT UNDISTURBED TILL THE COMING OF CHRIST."

Of course, the story's protagonist believes he has an excellent reason for disturbing the dead. Or in Sarah's case, the Undead.

Make certain your candle is not burning low before you start "The Tomb of Sarah," or any of the other tales in this haunting collection.

These stories offer layer upon layer of Victorian manners, Victorian attitudes, and sumptuous settings. Nineteenth century England through the eyes of its contemporaries is fascinating--and uncomfortably familiar. The befuddled rich and the harried servants. Being afraid to tell someone what you saw. Being afraid of rocking the boat. These stories are really about the consequences of one's deeds--how even the grave cannot set one free of one's angst. Two sisters in love with the same man. The domineering father who disapproves of his daughter's choice in a husband. The amoral medical student who will do anything to stay in the spotlight. The terrible vow uttered in a moment of passion, which echoes throughout one's entire life. The secret obsession we all have about what really happens after we close our eyes for the last time. If you're fascinated by the endless labyrinth of the human heart, and relish the sensation of the hair on your neck standing up, then this book's for you.

I cannot get enough of James, Gaskell, Le Fanu, Dickens...I have discovered I'm an Anglophile. I adore all that fog, gloom, polite horror and ghosts with lovely elocution. These stories are like a box of your favorite candy. You'll love them!

Victorian Ghost Stories: An Oxford Anthology has some of the best constructed and most chilling stories I have ever laid my eyes on. The characters, the settings, the plots and the dialogue from each of the stories all seem well thought out and written. I never lost my interest and always wanted to "read just one more page", from the simple to the complex, each story was wonderful in it's own way. I am sure, that if you are interested in ghosts, or just enjoy a good story now and then, this is for you. This is not a bunch of kiddy stories either, the pages are full of real talent and are portrayed with disturbing grace. I cannot say enough for this book and I am saddened that I am the only one who has written a review on such an extraordinary anthology. Please look into this one, it's worth anyone's money...this is the stuff that needs to be taught in schools.

A delightful little book givint the reader great insight into Victorian architecture. Providing beutiful vision usingoriginal terminology that gives one the authentic flavor. Using Parlor instead of living room. Showing a sewing room and other such features. Peticularly interesting in the provision and in some others lack of provision of plumbing. Some have bathrooms and some don't.

An excellant book for the lover of architecture or of the Victorian period.

However, there is one awful drawback. And it is most dreadful. Some houses are not accompanied with floor plans. Examples being the beutiful house on page four. The Farragut clubhouse on page thirteen. The moderate cottage on page thirty one and the houses following to page thirty eight. While others have only one or two floors plans provided.

This could use a sequal to correct this defect and provide additional buildings for reader's enjoyment.

Here is an amazing collection of victorial architectural buildings from the 1800s taken mostly from the New York Tri-State area. The full color three dimensional views given by these plates allow one to experience a sense of the real thing as it had been. The floor plans with scale dimensions can even help to wonders to the memory in understanding these magnificent works. It is also quite detailed and useful for someone who may even wish to reproduce any of these buildings! Even if you don't have any intention of reproducing an entire victorian building, there are certain styles that you can copy for your own home or farmhouse etc. This book gets my full recommendation.

"Victorian House Designs in Authentic Full Color," edited by Blanche Cirker, is a visually delightful tribute to a memorable era in home architecture. This volume reprints plates from "Scientific American--Architects and Builders Edition," originally appearing from 1885 to 1894.

The book contains floor plans and elevations of both stand-alone houses and connected homes. If you love the fanciful vocabulary of Victorian architecture, you will find all of your favorite features on display here: eyebrow dormers, circular towers, covered piazzas, cantilevered balconies, complex roof lines, clustered fireplaces, Palladian windows, and much, much more.

The only drawback to the book is that some house elevations are not accompanied by floor plans; a few others are only accompanied by the plan of a single floor. But overall, this is a richly detailed celebration of some truly beautiful homes. If you are a student of Victorian home architecture, this book is a must-have.

If you are looking for explicit instructions on how to build a Victorian House this may not be the book for you, BUT, if you LOVE Victorian houses as much as I do, this is definitely the book for you!

This wonderful book features page after page, in FULL COLOR excellent, detailed drawings of these marvelous, period residences! And includes the floor plan of the houses.

Frankly I found the book a pure delight! Many of the houses are featured in a natural setting with a lawn and trees,

I would have preferred people not to be featured in the pictures, but that is just a personal preference..

The small figures are well done and are dressed in period clothing.

I greatly enjoyed this book. It is the kind of picture book that I will be looking at over and over.

We ordered this book to give us ideas for building our own house in the grand old Victorian style. There are not instructions in this book, but it offers good illustrations, as well as floor plans for most of the houses pictured. Because the drawings are clear, they give a good idea of how some of the building was done, so it's possible to replicate them. We found it very helpful. The book is not technical, so it's entertaining for the average person to look at. The pictures are charming and enjoyable to browse through. The houses pictured are real, working houses that were built years ago. Through the floor plans, you also get an idea of the Victorian lifestyle. It really is a wonderful book to add to your library. It is a soft cover book

I don't know what I expected but this is an extremely witty book. But it's also a very wise book. Stephens has written dozens and dozens of wonderful essays on some very remarkable women. I loved them all, but somehow I found myself lingering among those Controversial Curers and Ingenious Invalids! I must identify! Oh, dear, but then again, Charlotte Gilman Perkins is there, so what can I say? There are funny details, interesting facts, nice photographs and even quotes that will make your days pass by in sober reflection. Don't let the wit overwhelm the sober. A wonderful edition for ALL collections on women in history. Now if only I could get my hands on one of Lydia Pinkham's cure for PMS! You can find her grave online too. She was a marvel!

I think this book is great....wonderful photos, interesting facts from ladies from the Victorian Era (which is a time in history, not a place or country) Great buy for fun women and history buffs!

I found this book fascinating, a quick sometimes shocking read. A feminist eye-opener with short, readable, to-the-point anecdotes of unconventional women's lives from primary sources. Also if you love historical romance, you will definitely love this book. ~Gaelen Foley, author of PRINCESS

Amusing collection of mini biographies of various American ladies rather strangely described as being from the Victorian era(surely it must be called something else in America, i mean sorry but she wasn't your Queen, you know)Some of the ladies I had heard of, many I hadn't, all were fun to read about. The back of the book proclaims 150 Women gave Queen Victoria fits! even though the book contains at least 2 women whom Queen Victoria greatly admired. One is Annie Oakley,although Ms. Stephens describes the Queen as 'simpering' at her (I am confident that Queen Victoria never simpered in her life). The other is Harriet Beacher Stowe, whose novel Dred she prefered to Uncle Tom's Cabin, saying "how interested she was in Nina, how provoked when she died, and how angry that something dreadful did not happen to Tom Gordon". Queen Victoria was at least as interesting as any of the women in Autumn Stephens' book, and would I am sure have sympathised with at least some of them. She gave her name to an entire age in England (and apparently in America too!)

Though written with wit and humour, one can only begin to imagine the amount of research that went into this book. The convictions of the women described within this tome inspire perseverence in those of us who are challenged by our individual goals.

I'm a bit picky when it comes to my books. This was entertaining but I've read better! I did like that there were a lot of different stories. Helps to appeal to the mood you are in at the time you are reading it.

Had a little bit of everything --- the English goings-on was as good as ever I have read. Some of the stories went on too long -- to the point they became boring. Others were very intense and eroitic.

First ... this 635 page bok published originally by Carrol & Graf THE erotic book publishers of the English language makes it soemwaht a favorite of mine ....

There are 27 excerpts from the same number of books that give the reader a taste of the storyline of the book ... For the aficionados this book may be boring but then just consider that you are looking for a nugget of eroticism without buying the book ... ....

First ... this 635 page bok published originally by Carrol & Graf THE erotic book publishers of the English language makes it somewhat a favorite of mine ....

There are 27 excerpts of books that give the reader a taste of the storyline ... The reason that I rate this book as five stars is that this is a true anthology of erotic literature from books and authors that have been PUBLISHED. In so many compilations on the market listed as 'The Best of .... ' I give them one star since many of the contributers are unknown and the stories pure erotic garbage.

Of the 27 excerpts more than half of them are from books and authors that I have rated as five star material .... So, for the afficionado and connosieur of erotic writings this is a great way to get a taste of the story, and the authors style, without having to kick out the money for the whole book ...

Kaoru Mori writes and draws a look of old england gone by in this really great litte comic / manga which I do recommend if you like real good story and drawn out characters who you can identify with. Never a dull book in this series which has been animated so I look forward to seeing that, along with her new manga which along similar lines. Please try this title out as it is very charming.

In Volume 5 of Emma, we see both Emma and William adjusting to their new lives without one another. However, are they really doing so well while remaining far apart? Volume 5 will certainly leave readers on the edge of their seats, alternately cheering and feeling frustrated by the characters. A true romance, after all, does not occur without obstacles. Volume 5 is a very nice addition to the series, and both the mastery of storytelling and graphic development shine through!

As a huge manga fan I can say this series is one of my favorites. The art work is stunning, a lot is portrayed without words and whole panels devoted a single glance.

In this 5th volume our favorite maid returns to Haworth after seeing William in London. William is still engaged to Eleanor, but in love with Emma. Insight is shown into why William's parents were separated quite a bit of the book tells their story. We also meet Eleanor's father and there's a lot of character development.

It is a quick and enchanting read, though it leaves you sorely wishing the next book was released sooner than December!

This gorgeously drawn series comes to a rather abrupt conclusion. Emma is kidnapped and sent off to America, but William tracks her down. This is portrayed so abruptly that she may as well of just been hiding in the basement. Other problems arise, but frankly it seems that the focus of this last volume is just to get things over with. Emma & William may find happiness at some point, but this whole volume seems rushed. I was very disappointed with this volume in comparison to the earlier ones.

The Heir of Redclyffe is a wonderful novel that vividly depicts life in the nineteenth century. I greatly enjoyed this novel for its superb characterization. I was truly captivated by the main character,Guy Morville. He is a character that the reader genuinely admires and likes for both his nobility and humanity. The writing is excellent and the novel flows more easily than other Victorian works of fiction.

The Heir of Redclyffe is book that brings both pleasure and pain, but pain that causes the reader to think about the nature of good, evil, and human beings. Like Jane Austen's Mansfield Park, you are fully confronted with the pain of likeable human beings doing immoral, selfish things. The world of the Heir of Redclyffe is realistic in its depiction of complex characters with flaws and weaknesses. You meet a family of two parents, three sisters, a cousin, and a ward (the heir). There are also plenty of fully sketched and realistic minor characters as well. Part of Yonge's power is to make you care about a great many characters and to understand them, their different values, temperments, and personalities. There are five major characters that dominate the novel: Charles, the invalid brother with his clever sense of humor; Laura, the serious older sister; Amy, the sweet and charming younger sister; their cousin, Philip, a brilliant scholar who sacrificed his chance of a fulfilling intellectual life for a sister who betrayed him; and Guy, the heir of money, a title, a terrible education, and a family tradition of a wild temper.

If you haven't read the editorial review above, please don't--it's a spoiler. I don't know if being told the fate of a particular character before I read the book would have changed my experience of the novel, but it certainly would have reduced my surprize and sense of "oh my, god, what next!" The major twists and turns of the plot had for me the same sensational impact I felt when reading Frances Burney's Cecilia or the great Chinese classic, The Dream of the Red Chamber. I realize many of my readers here might be unfamilar with these two works, but the common experience I had in reading all three books was to feel extremely moved and upset by the book. In all three books, characters had become so real to me that I felt intense emotional responses to their pleasures and pains. I think one reason I felt so moved reading these three books was that none of the books involves a world in which you expect extreme horror. For example, in reading The Color Purple, a novel narrated by a young girl raped by her father, the extreme horror and sordid nature of novel's entire world in a way protected me from deep shock and pain. In a tale of a lovely family with a lovely home, fun friends, beautiful gardens, balls, walks, fun after dinner games, discussions of great books and art, the realistic introduction of painful situations moved me greatly.

The book displays a complex web of characters with flaws and assets, much like other Victorian novels such a Eliot's Middlemarch and Martineau's Deerbrook. Like these novels, it also gives you a vivid sense of upper middle class life in Victorian England. I have a Ph.D. in British literature, and I focused on eighteenth-century literature and the novel for my fields of specialization. While reading this Charlotte Yonge novel will certainly not give the social rewards you get for reading more famous authors such as George Eliot or Anthony Trollope, it will give you a wonderful literary experience. I also recommend, although less highly, Yonge's The Clever Woman of the Family and The Daisy Chain. These novels more directly address intellectual, feminist, and religious issues of the Victorian period. For some, particularly fans of Eliot's work, this may make them more highly reguarded. I perfer the focus on more timeless problems of human relationships, pride, and honesty that is found in The Heir of Redclyffe.

Charlotte Yonge's "The Heir of Redclyffe" is the Victorian bestseller that many critics,along with much of her other work,are attempting to revive.I had trepidations before I read this novel.The only things I knew about Charlotte Yonge before this were - her novels were considered models of virtue and propriety and that Charles Kingsley loved her work.This was not very encouraging.But,after reading "The Heir of Redclyffe" I realized that Yonge was well worth reviving.Charlotte Yonge was probably the Victorian Christian novelist par excellence.Even they who are neither theists or Christians would be impressed with Yonge's intense conviction.Unlike most of her contemporaries her use of religion never feels perfunctory or insincere-she wrote as she believed and practiced."The Heir of Redclyffe" tells the story of a flawed yet saintly young man who is persecuted to death by his jealous and self-righteous cousin.Despite its sentimental theme the book is surprisingly restrained and ultimately moving.Its minute depiction of family life in the 1850's is so evocative -that it is worth reading for that alone.Charlotte Yonge, unfortunately,lacked the literary skill to be ranked with the best of the Victorians,but "The Heir of Redclyffe" is an original and powerful experience.

In general I prefer Victorian novels to modern novels. Victorian novels frequently have a higher moral standard and a more classic literary style. Charlotte Yonge was a prolific writer and The Heir of Redclyffe was a popular and classic novel in 19th century England. While I do not share the author's ritualistic High Anglicanism, I do appreciate her Christian orthodoxy and her lifelong dedication to Christian piety, virtue and nobleness of character. Once I got well into the novel I found my interest increasing rather than diminishing. There is struggle "within" and "between" the main characters and even the tragedy that ensues is what I would term a "pleasing melancholy."
One critic said that Charlotte Yonge had the ability to make virtue appear interesting. I think she does that here.

I found this on my cousin's bookshelf with I was but a wee thing, stole it. A classic of Victorian erotica, it's the story of Jack who gets jilted by his fiancee and takes revenge on her, her maid, and others in a lovingly described soundproofed room with equisite details of torture and pleasure.

I first read this book at about ten years old (I'd found a copy in the garage) and 22 years later, this is still the best erotica I've ever read! Definitely worth it! ;-)

Jack is head over heals in love! But she is pledged to another[Jack thinks he's an idiot of course] and plots to "ahve his way" despite the obstacles. His plot, I won't give it away, is ingenious and gives the author a fine stage to display his art! Excellent sexual adventure, well written, and the result is ... uh uh, you will have to read it for yourself! A fine book!

this was one of the first novels i read in the s&m genre and one of the notably good ones. it basically deals with the authors revenge on his fiancee for being jilted and his method for doing so. the reader wil enjoy the mixture of pain with a heavy dose of pleasure used by the author in the subjugation of his fiancee, her maid, her freind and a would be fiancee an mother in law. This is one of the finer examples of victorian erotica and well worth a read

It's been quite a while since I've ventured back into White Wolf's Vampire: The Masquerade series. After completing the original clan series and the grail trilogy I was beginning to feel that the publisher had worked this vein (sorry about the pun) as much as it could be, and that the element of repetition was getting noticeable. At the result of several recommendations I decided to give this particular series a try. After all, vampires and Victorian is where is all started.

Phillippe Boulle is a surprisingly good author, which partially explains his position as managing editor at White Wolf Fiction. He manages to skirt the pitfalls of the Masquerade genre while presenting the story of Regina Blake, recently back from a long residence in Egypt with her father James, Lord Blake. In a hectic series of events, Regina's mother Emma dies under suspect circumstances and Regina discovers that a series of secrets that catapults her into the vampire society of Victorian London.

Fortunately, Victoria Ash, who at one time knew her mother, steps in to make Regina her prot?g? in a society that forgives nothing and is quick to punish mistakes. Now Regina sets out to discover what has happened to her mother, who has disappeared from her tomb. In the meantime, Lieutenant Malcolm Seward, her estranged lover, is becoming enmeshed in a secret military society that also seems to be entangled in the vampire's world.

So far, the story is focused on the machinations of the Tremere clan, which had fallen out of favor under the Prince of London, who had disappeared, leaving a regent in his place. His return offers a new opportunity for maneuvering and mayhem. At present the political element (which is the part I like least about Masquerade novels) is being kept at bay. Instead the primary focuses are Regina, Malcolm, and Victoria. For some reason the presence of a handful of humans (Victoria is a vampire) seems to enliven vampire stories, which otherwise tend to turn into caricatures of themselves. While not totally engaging, this turned out to be an interesting first volume, and I expect to complete the series.

Philippe Boulle has created a masterpiece of Victorian Vampirism. The book is filled with mystical mysteries, and has been thoroughly researched so that the anachronistic details take you to Victorian England. I could not put the book down, and could hardly wait for book two. Now I need book three, which has not yet been published.

Regina Blake is the beautiful daughter of the Viscount Lord James Blake, who has served in the military in Egypt for most of his career, and nearly all of her life. Lady Blake is ill, and must return to England to be cared for, yet when they leave Egypt, her brother refuses to join them, and father and son are estranged.

In their English manor, Lady Emma Blake dies -- was it murder, which it certainly appears to be, or something far darker. Her mother's family, the Ducheski clan, descends on the estate to bury Emma according to their traditions. In Regina's search for the burial place of her mother, she finds far more than any girl should see.

Regina believes she is in control of her nightly wanderings in London. She can no longer talk with her father, who has turned his anger at his wife's death to the liquor bottle.

Systematically Regina is seduced into a complex relationship with Victoria Ash, who becomes her sponsor and introduces her to the true nightlife in London. Victoria is also the only one who can save Regina's life during the Morbid Initiation.

I cannot begin to reveal the story in a short review -- it is fascinating, dark, delicious, frightening, enlightening, and horrific. It is one of the best books, not just one of the best horror novels, that I have read. The characters are complex, linked through so many levels of society and blood lines, filled with emotions and danger they each are real, not just words on a piece of paper.

This is book deserves five stars.

Victoria Tarrani

i love vampires so i was drawn to this novel. i definitely got sucked in but it wasn't what i call an "easy read" because of the victorian age language in it. it's not something i'd sit and read for hours at a time but definitely enjoyable. i'm looking forward to the next 2 novels.

The first volume in the VICTORIAN AGE VAMPIRE trilogy is a knock-
out! It invokes images of old Hammer Dracula films and brings
back old friends we've met before in more modern chronicles--
Victoria Ash, Hesha Ruhadze, Beckett. Written in the manner of
a Victorian Gothic, the novel is a must-read not only for
VAMPIRE roleplayers, but for anyone who loves Gothic novels, the
fog-shrouded streets of Whitechapel and a look at the Kindred
during the height of the Victorian era. DON'T MISS THIS ONE!!!