English Summary/英文概要： What if you could travel in time to the Victorian age—the age of corsets, crinolines, cholera and consumption? What would you find there? How would you live? What would you find to eat in an era that has no frozen foods, no heat-and-eat meals, no mixes, nor even packaged snacks? How would you cook it, or store it? What would you wear in an era that has no synthetic fabrics—no easy-care, permanent press polyesters or rayons—and quite often, no running water, no washers and dryers to keep your clothes and linens clean?

How would you entertain yourself without recourse to computer games, movies, television shows, streaming, or the ability to hear any music you might wish at the touch of a button? How will you communicate with those around you with no telephones? How will you cope with the rules of Victorian etiquette, which govern nearly every facet of social life? Will you have to hire servants—or might you even become one? What you need is a guide, a practical manual to help you navigate the complexities of Victorian life … in short, the book you hold in your hands, which will help ensure that you not only survive but thrive in Victorian Britain!

Chinese Summary/中文概要： 如果你能穿越到維多利亞時代——那個束腰、裙撐、霍亂和肺結核肆虐的時代，你會發現什麼？你會如何生活？在一個沒有冷凍食品、加熱即食食品，甚至連包裝零食都沒有的時代，你會吃什麼？你會如何烹飪，又該如何儲存？在一個沒有合成纖維——沒有易於打理、免燙的聚酯纖維或人造絲——而且常常沒有自來水、沒有洗衣機和烘乾機來保持衣物和床單清潔的時代，你會穿什麼？

沒有電腦遊戲、電影、電視節目、串流媒體，也無法隨時隨地聆聽任何想聽的音樂，你會如何消遣？沒有電話，你會如何與周遭的人溝通？你會如何應對維多利亞時代幾乎支配著社交生活各個層面的禮儀規範？你會僱用僕人嗎？或者，你甚至會成為僕人？你需要的是一本指南，一本實用的手冊，幫助你應對維多利亞時代生活的複雜性……簡而言之，就是你手中的這本書，它將幫助你不僅在維多利亞時代的英國生存下來，而且取得成功！(Zoe)

2007年，莫伊拉·艾倫在英國生活期間，深深愛上了維多利亞時代的雜誌。自那時起，她收集了數百本維多利亞時代的年鑑，並將其中的大量內容（超過18,000篇文章）發佈在VictorianVoices.net網站上。在這本書中，艾倫幫助愛好者和研究者用維多利亞時代的文字探索他們的所思所想，並揭穿了許多關於維多利亞時代生活的常見誤解。艾倫自1979年起從事專業寫作，著有多本書籍，包括《如何開啟你的自由撰稿人職業生涯》和《如何應對失去寵物的悲傷》。她與丈夫和一隻熱愛科技的貓咪居住在肯塔基州。欲了解更多關於維多利亞時代的知識，並訂閱艾倫每月出版的維多利亞時代電子雜誌，請到www.victorianvoices.net。

About Moira Allen

Moira Allen fell in love with Victorian magazines while living in England in 2007. Since then, she has collected hundreds of Victorian annuals and has posted much of their content (over 18,000 articles) on VictorianVoices.net. In this book, Allen enables the enthusiast and the researcher to explore what Victorians thought and did in their own words, and debunks many common myths about Victorian life. Allen has been writing professionally since 1979, and is the author of several books, including Starting Your Career as a Freelance Writer and Coping with Sorrow on the Loss of Your Pet. She lives in Kentucky with her husband and a tech-loving cat. Find out more about the Victorian era, and sign up for Allen’s monthly e-magazine of Victoriana, at www.victorianvoices.net.