Dear Subscriber,

When I was young, we used to say that "time flies when you're having fun."  Now that I'm not so young, I'd just say that time flies, whether you're having fun or not!  It seems that every time I blink, it's time to flip the page on the calendar. 

It doesn't help that we can't quite seem to tell what time of year it is here in Maryland - summer, or a tropical "rainy season"?  Apparently we have had the wettest July on record for this area, and we've started to wonder where we might lay in a good supply of gopher wood... 

But the August issue is finished at last, and I'm happy to say that I'm also well on the way to completing September - which means the next issue might be more or less "on time."  Not that I even want to think about the word "September," because that means October is just around the corner, and that's technically fall, and... well, how time does fly!

And now here's what we have for you in August:

• Aunt Eve Interviewed (Harpers, 1873) An interview with a former slave, who believed herself to be around 104 years old and could remember events before the American Revolution.
• Some Animal Thieves (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1892) A look at some exceptional and ingenious thefts perpetrated within the animal kingdom.
• At the Sign of the Golden Balls (Windsor, 1898B) A day at a London pawn shop.
• Curiosities of Angling (The Strand, 1896) A look at some fishing trophies, fishing records, and peculiar objects made to celebrate the art of angling.
• To Let - Furnished (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1895) On the benefits and hazards -- to tenants and landlords alike -- of renting a furnished residence in London.
• About Fans (Demorest, 1870) A brief but charming summary of the lore and legend of the fan.
• Paying an Election Bet (The Strand, 1899 )The author, having lost his bet, was to ride a donkey from New York to San Francisco, without a dollar in his pocket, earning his keep along the way. One method he used to accomplish the feat was to sell pictures of his journey!
• Summer Puddings (The Girl's Own Paper, 1891) This delicious collection includes chocolate pudding, Devonshire junket, coffee mousse, orange fool, snowballs, and Italian cream, amongst others.
• Recipes for August (The Girl's Own Paper, 1897) One can see that times are indeed changing when a list of recipes begins with "Cyclist's sandwiches."
• Pretty Yet Inexpensive Furniture (The Girl's Own Paper, 1902) Tips on creating some lovely small pieces for the home with simple tools and supplies.
• A Highland Joke (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1884) The great Highland baby swap!
• Manners: Talks With My Daughter (Demorest, 1873)A  lovely piece on the value of manners (vs. simply "etiquette").
• Aunt Mehitable's Winter in Washington (Godey's, 1873) This wonderful ten-part series of "letters" written by "Aunt Mehitable" to her loved ones back in Virginia provide a wonderful look at Washington (DC) life and society in 1873. The Washington monument has not yet been built, and in one letter "Aunt Mehitable" urges women across the country to send $1 toward its completion. The series looks at the notable figures of the day, describes fashions and homes in detail, and paints a brilliant picture of life on Capitol Hill.
  

Visit http://www.victorianvoices.net/VT/issues/VT-1808.shtml to download  this issue!

Or download it directly from DropBox:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ecssyfa5mwz7kvd/VT-1808.pdf?dl=0

VICTORIAN TIMES QUARTERLY #16 AVAILABLE!

The latest volume of Victorian Times Quarterly is available on Amazon, Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.ca.

Victorian Times Quarterly #16 includes the contents of the April, May and June 2018 issues of Victorian Times.  In this lovely print edition you'll enjoy the latest installments of Aunt Mehitable's visit to Washington DC, Grant Allen's Moorland Idylls, and so much more.  This collection includes a look at London's home for lost dogs; first-hand accounts of working life for Victorian women; a visit to the "modern" cave-dwellings of Victorian Britain; tips on how poachers strive to outwit gamekeepers; glimpses of some amazing award-winning decorated bicycles; a ramble through Victorian Nebraska; a look at Victorian weddings; craft tips on making Easter eggs, dollhouse furniture and pewter repousse; loads of recipes... in short, more Victoriana than you can shake a stick at!  If you were inclined to shake sticks at things.  Add it to your bookshelf today, or share it as a gift with the Victoriana lover on your list.

To find out more and access the ordering links, please visithttp://www.victorianvoices.net/VT/VTQ/VTQ16.shtml

CHECK OUT OUR NEWEST COLLECTION!

Beautiful, elegant embroidery was a defining feature of the Victorian age.  Victorian ladies were expert needlewomen, adorning clothing, household items and an amazing range of gift items with lovely stitchery designs.  Today we bring you an amazing collection of Victorian needlework patterns and designs - over 2000 patterns - to brighten and inspire your own craft projects. 

This collection includes floral patterns, animals, birds, international designs, charted and counted patterns, patchwork patterns, borders and continuous designs, beadwork, and more.  It brings you designs from the top women's magazines of the era, including Godey's, Peterson's, The Girl's Own Paper, Demorest, Cassell's Family Magazine, and several books on needlework and crafts.  And speaking of books, we've also included several classic Victorian e-books on embroidery and needlework on the disk, including Sophia Caulfeild's Dictionary of Needlework and Therese de Dillmont's Encyclopedia of Needlework. 

I'm not going to run on about the virtues of this collection here; I'll limit my promotional meanderings to two things: (1) High resolution images and (2) virtually no usage restrictions.  All the images are at least 300 dpi and most are 600 dpi - which means you aren't going to open this collection and see a bunch of tiny, 65KB files that aren't good for much of anything but viewing on screen.  And we don't care what you use these for - personal, commercial, whatever - unlike some other collections that have a set of restrictions that runs on for over a page!  (Partly because we actually know what "public domain" really means...)  To find out more, and see our preview gallery, visit http://www.victorianvoices.net/clipart/embroidery.shtml .

Thank you all for being a part of the VictorianVoices.net family! 

Your Intrepid Editor,
Moira Allen

editors@writing-world.com