Dirty Old London

Starred review from October 15, 2014
In this new, refreshing look at the Hundred Years' War, Green (Edward the Black Prince: Power in Medieval Europe, 2007) examines the resulting reconstruction of European culture."The crucible of war forged and reforged the English and French nations into something new," writes the author in this illuminating history. This war, or series thereof, lasted from 1337 to 1453, with interruptions for short terms of peace, famine, civil strife in France and the Black Death. During that time, there would be changes everywhere, but the war began as a feudal and dynastic struggle, as Edward III of England laid claim to the French crown. It ended with a new sense of national identity in both countries as they sought to maintain or reclaim territory, particularly the former Angevin possessions that covered most of modern-day France. The English dominated the first half of the conflict with major victories at Crecy, Poitiers and Agincourt. During the reign of Henry V in particular, the goal was to eliminate any and all support for the French king. This the English accomplished by a grande chevauchee, a calculated destruction that progressed from Bordeaux to Narbonne, depriving the French king of not only manpower, but supplies and tax income. The Hundred Years' War also significantly affected the scale of knightly ransoms, which changed ancient codes of chivalry, class divisions and feudal service. Suddenly, artillery and the longbow were more important that the cavalry, and since the archers and infantry were predominately peasants, the days of feudalism were on the wane. The war both emphasized and created differences between the two countries, which shared hundreds of years of common history. Green holistically explores aspects of the war's effects with exceptionally thorough research on subjects as diverse as the Catholic Church, women, peasants and even language.

COPYRIGHT(2014) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

October 15, 2014
Victorianist Jackson (Walking Dickens' London, 2012) demonstrates the unimaginable filth that permeated London during the 19th century.During the industrial age, it was not just dust and smoke from factories that affected life in the city; in fact, 19th-century reformers felt that was just a part of life. London was plagued year-round by manure, ash, mud and rotten garbage, and the summer months, which "created their own obnoxious cocktail," were especially bad. The generally accepted thought was that the source of sickness, including cholera and typhus epidemics, was miasma, the foul smell of degrading organic material. The sewers and cesspools of London continually overflowed, and while the "night soil" men pumped out waste and sold it for fertilizer, they couldn't keep up with a population that increased sixfold in the period from 1800 to 1900. Finally, with Edwin Chadwick (1800-1890) leading the sanitary movement, a great sewer project was built to divert raw sewage and eliminate cesspools. The situation regarding ash and cinders ran into a similar problem, as dustmen sold the waste from coal fires to brick makers but couldn't keep up with the population explosion. Reformers managed to curtail the output of smoke from the many factories, but the domestic grate of a "man's castle" continued to fowl the air well into the 20th century. The author thoroughly covers the various pollutants plaguing the city, including the most prevalent in the early years: manure. London required 300,000 horses to keep the city moving, and their manure, mixed with ash and mud, created a vile substance covering nearly every street. A well-researched, if unpalatable, picture of a filthy city and the different factions fighting for and against reform using class distinctions, gender inequality and horrendous poor laws. Jackson strongly warns us that the problem isn't solved; the great sewer project is desperately outdated, and the "clean air" is anything but.

COPYRIGHT(2014) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.