The Archaeology of Improvement in Britain, 1750–1850
The Archaeology of Improvement in Britain, 1750–1850
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In this innovative 2007 study, Sarah Tarlow shows how the archaeology of this period manifests a widespread and cross-cutting ethic of improvement. Theoretically informed and drawn from primary and secondary sources in a range of disciplines, the author considers agriculture and the rural environment, towns, and buildings such as working-class housing and institutions of reform. From bleach baths to window glass, rubbish pits to tea wares, the material culture of the period reflects a particular set of values and aspirations. Tarlow examines the philosophical and historical background to the notion of improvement and demonstrates how this concept is a useful lens through which to examine the material culture of later historical Britain.
- The first original, theoretically-aware synthesis of British archaeology of this period
- The first book to give sustained critical attention to the idea of improvement in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries
- Examines all kinds of physical traces of the past, including artefacts, buildings, landscapes, archaeological features and town plans
Reviews & endorsements
Review of the hardback: '[Tarlow] produces an extremely useful synthesis of much archaeological and historical research, demonstrating that people in this period made many significant changes to their material world which they described as 'improvement'. … Tarlow has many useful and original things to say about the archaeology of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. … this book is well worth reading, and also extremely easy to read - Tarlow writes with clarity and, at times, elegance. … this is a stimulating and provocative read.' Landscape History
Product details
- Published: April 2007
- Format: Hardback
- ISBN: 9780521864190
- Length: 234 pages
- Dimensions: 260 × 184 × 18 mm
- Weight: 0.594kg
- Availability: Temporarily unavailable - available from TBC
Table of Contents
- 1. Introduction
- 2. Agricultural improvement
- 3. The improved rural landscape
- 4. Towns and civic improvement
- 5. Improving the people
- 6. The right stuff
- 7. Final thoughts.
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