Summer is nearly upon us (though you couldn't prove it by our dreary, drizzly weather).  And so is the May issue of Victorian Times!

Looking at our lead article on forgeries and begging letters, one is reminded that there isn't much new under the sun. Those folks who write to us today from foreign lands to tell us that they are the wives, daughters, etc. of deposed leaders, heads of state, etc., and desperately need our help to reclaim their lost millions would have felt right at home in Victorian days!  The sad part is, such schemes wouldn't have hung around for 200 years if they didn't work!

On a more amusing note, anyone who thought our Victorian ancestors were an utterly staid, dull, humorless bunch will discover differently in our feature on "The Cotillion."  This is not the stately, elegant set of dances one imagines from Hollywood--in fact it seems that the cotillion (at least in America) was something of a romp!  They didn't show us this in "Gone with the Wind!"

As always, this issue is available not only by direct download but through DropBox.  If you're already a DropBox customer, accessing the issue will be a cinch.  If you're not, when you click the link I'll provide below, you'll be invited to sign up for their free service. 

The current issue of Victorian Times will remain in DropBox until the next issue is released; then it will be removed, but will continue to be available through the regular web-link.  Please let me know if you have any problems downloading from either source!

Here's what we have in the May issue: 

• Crimes and Criminals: Forgers and Begging-Letter Writers (The Strand, 1894) A look at some relics in the Scotland Yard "museum" relating to forgeries and frauds.
• Welsh Queens of the May (The Strand, 1898) Every year in Llandudno, a "sweeter, daintier little maiden, clad in royal robes, is for one brief day fêted, cheered, and worshipped by enthusiastic thousands."
• The Social Duty of Women: The Musical "At Home" (CFM, 1894) How to make a musical evening an enjoyable one for your guests.
• Afternoon Tea: A Chat Over the Teacups (GOP, 1899) "Within the last twenty years the simple but most popular meal known by the name of 'afternoon tea' has become a prominent feature in domestic and social life."  Though it has also been condemned by some... "We are told that women drink far more tea than is good for them and are growing more nervous in consequence..."
• Model Menu for May (GOP, 1893) What to offer for this month's dinner party.
• Out-Door Games From Over the Sea: Pies (GOP, 1892) A six-part series that looks at children's outdoor games from around the world, including some marvelous folklore about counting rhymes and other verses! (Warning: Victorian children's rhymes, especially from America, were not always politically correct!) 
• Art Needlework (GOP, 1888) Beautiful embroidery patterns that work just as well today as they did more than 100 years ago.
• The Cotillion (Demorest, 1873) We've all heard of the cotillion, but this article, which describes some of the traditional games and dances therein, is an eye-opener!  (Foolscaps and Crown, anyone?)
• An Artist's Voyage Around the Horn (CFM, 1886) A rough and freezing journey...
• A Little Enemy (CFM, 1878) From the adorable Harrison Weir drawings that accompany this piece, it's clear that the author has rather mixed feelings about his "enemy," the rat...
• Savouries (GOP, 1890)Some delicious recipes for tea-time treats and appetizers.
• The Art of Cooking Rice (CFM, 1882)Sweet and savoury dishes to delight the palate.
• May Lore (ILA, 1846) Country lore, customs and feast days.
• Fiction: Dobson's Plots (CFM, 1889) Travails of an author literally in search of a plot.

Visit http://www.victorianvoices.net/VT/issues/VT-1605.shtml to download this issue!

Download it from DropBox: https://www.dropbox.com/s/vpbyt5818pkpruy/VT-1605.pdf?dl=0