Homes Past And Present

From candle-lit cottages to electricity-filled houses, this carefully leveled text compares and contrasts homes of the past to homes of the present. Colorful photographs engage young readers, while age-appropriate critical thinking questions and a photo glossary help develop nonfiction-reading skills.

From candle-lit cottages to electricity-filled houses, this carefully leveled text compares and contrasts homes of the past to homes of the present. Colorful photographs engage young readers, while age-appropriate critical thinking questions and a photo glossary help develop nonfiction-reading skills.

In Homes Then and Now, leveled text and vibrant, full-color photographs take readers through the cultural and technological advances that affected houses and homes through time. Readers will compare life in the past to life today. An infographic highlights a period in housing and What Do You Think? sidebars and an activity encourage deeper inquiry. Homes Then and Now also features reading tips for teachers and parents, a table of contents, a glossary, and an index.

"Read about the history, present, and imagine the future of things in our houses, such as the television, dishwasher, bathroom, refrigerator, vacuum cleaner, washing maching, milk and butter, and the sewing machine"--Provided by publisher.

From the earliest times, people have striven to turn their houses into homes through the use of decoration and furnishings, stimulating in turn a major commercial sector dedicated to offering the products and services essential to feed the ever-changing dictates of domestic fashion. Whilst there is plentiful evidence to show that these phenomena can be traced to medieval times, it is arguable that the eighteenth century witnessed the birth of a widespread and sophisticated consumer society. With a comparatively wealthy and socially mobile society, eighteenth-century Britain proved to be a fertile ground for ideas of home improvement and beautification, which were to persist to the present day. Turning Houses into Homes not only maps the history, changes, development and structure of the retail furnishing industry in Britain over three centuries, but also examines the relationships between the retailer and the consumer, looking at how retailers helped stimulate and shape the demand of their customers. Whilst work has been done on specific aspects of the home, very little has been written on the interaction between the retailer and consumer, and the pressures brought to bear on them by issues such as gender, education, status, symbolism, taste, decoration, hygiene, comfort and entertainment. As such, this book offers a valuable conjunction of retail history and consumption practices, which are examined through a multi-disciplinary approach to explore both their intimate connections and their wider roles in society.