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Not in Front of the Servants - A True Portrait of Upstairs, Downstairs Life by Frank Victor Dawes |
This 1973 best-seller - now available on Amazon for £0.01 (!) - documents the lives (from mid-19C to WW II ) of the army of domestic servants who made life comfortable for the well-to-do. Based on hundreds of personal reminiscences, it entertainingly describes recruitment, wages, 'perks', living and working conditions (usually dreadful), relationships with employers and high jinks in houses ranging from great to modest. A salutary reminder that the 'good old days' were only good for the lucky few.
(Wendy Swann - bwl 30 June 2005 ) |
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