The Istoriaphile’s Corner

It’s easy to fall in love with fiction.  If the writer’s done his/her job, a reader can sit back with a well-formed story, a balanced plot and distinctive characters with unforgettable lines.   Everything should work out in fiction.   Non-fiction’s not quite so easy.  Perhaps the hero didn’t have a memorable speech or the author missed meeting that all-important member of the cast.  That author can either tell the truth or stretch it, both of which create their own downsides but, if a talented writer finds an interesting subject and is willing to do the research, some non-fiction books are terrific.   But reference books are the Rodney Dangerfields in a printed world: they rarely get any respect, so nobody wants to write them.  Without plot or characters, the tomes seldom get attention.  I know of three exceptions to the rule.  You can read them for reference or for pleasure but either way, you’ll never be bored. Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management.   This book is history, itself.  An English publisher named Beeton talked his wife into assembling this household bible in the 1850’s and for decades it reigned in the homes of British middle and upper class citizens while Victoria reigned…