Victorian Books

When I was little in the 1960's it was the time when we were still kind of very influenced by the Victorian culture.

I suppose this was because our grandparents had been brought up in the Edwardian era, and they were influenced by the Victorians. I think that, especially in that period, it took a long time to move on to a new culture, things were very much passed down from generation to generation, whereas these days, social culture can change drastically within a decade.

For example, now in 2010, social and scientific attitudes, language, and even culture itself to a certain extent, have changed a lot since 1995. If you watch TV sitcoms from the mid or even late 1990s, you will find that they are a little bit dated. That was only 15 years ago. Back in the early 20th century, 15 years was not necessarily a long enough time for things to have changed.

So it was that I had Victorian childrens' books passed on to me by a neighbor whose daughter had outgrown them. The Victorians and the Edwardians seemed to have a habit of making large, thick books full of different stories and pictures for children.

I wish I still had them now. They were a treasure. I still remember some of the stories and the pictures, many of them were so full of life and hope for the future, and I occasionally have a flashback to how happy I used to feel reading them.