Summary of Ruth Goodman's The Domestic Revolution

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book.

Book Preview: #1 The way a fire burns is important. Some fuels burn in short, concentrated bursts, while others burn over a longer, slower period.

Fuel can be treated in a number of ways to alter its nature and behavior within the fire.#2 The smith's forge is a great demonstration of the possibilities of fire.

Working with coal, the smith can create a fairly shallow fire that is suitable for tempering a blade.

With skill and knowledge, the fire can be used to shape and bend metal, temper and adjust its hardness, brittleness or spring, and divide it.#3 When we turn our attention from the forge to the kitchen, we can see a similar range of options and subtleties at play.

Different fuels can be used to perform different functions by dint of the techniques and equipment particular to them.#4 Common land was not public land, and was not free for anyone to use as they pleased.

It was held in common by a specific group of people who were allowed to use it in specific ways.

Dung was often used as a fuel in parts of Britain where other sources of fuel were scarce.