At Home was a fascinating book about the items we take for granted in our everyday world. For example, whenever we go into the bedroom or bathroom and close the door behind us, Bryson encourages us to consider that having private areas in one’s home is a relatively recent concept. Bryson also includes much information about doors, the materials used to make them, and their purposes throughout history.
The availability of materials was an issue when people began to desire windows. Glass was scarce, so windows were taxed. Another relatively new invention was stairs. Buildings only had two or more floors once somebody could reach the upper floors inside the structures. Unfortunately, based on accident records, stairs are also dangerous!
Bryson writes about the development of kitchens and food as we know it. Early humans were hunters and gatherers, and as people settled down, food availability varied greatly. International food trading led to more eclectic diets, but an unintended consequence of worldwide trade was the spread of disease. Conditions such as scurvy led researchers to decide that dietary habits could prevent diseases and result in a healthier populace.
I was fascinated by the section on building materials and architects. Architects, alongside the tradespeople, experimented with various building materials. Sticks, stones, wood, and metals all evolved into long-term usage. And, of course, the development of different rooms is remarkable. A bedroom only shows up in written material in Shakespeare’s time. Bryson highlights the introduction of kitchens, parlors, and living rooms and the variety of furniture used through the centuries and continues to adapt to lifestyles.
Bed mites, bed bugs, mice, rats, bats, and locusts all figure in the evolution of homes as we know them. And so do cemeteries, parks, suburbs, and lawns. There are so many exciting factoids in this book that you’ll have to pick it up to appreciate them.
