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History Post-confederation (1867-)

The Canadian Housewife

An Affectionate History

by (author) Rosemary Neering

Publisher
Whitecap Books
Initial publish date
Mar 2011
Category
Post-Confederation (1867-)
  • Hardback

    ISBN
    9781552857175
    Publish Date
    Mar 2011
    List Price
    $29.95

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Recommended Age, Grade, and Reading Levels

  • Age: 15
  • Grade: 10

Description

An engaging account of Canada's ingenious housewives. Light and lively, but factual, The Canadian Housewife traces the various eras of this feminine icon of the north, from the 1600s with the first Acadian women along the Bay of Fundy -- who lit their houses with candles and heated them with fires -- to the 1950s suburban housewife -- who treasured her new labor-saving kitchen devices and magazine recipes for jellied salads with marshmallows. This engaging cultural history provides amusing information and anecdotes on how Canadian housewives dealt with the trials and tribulations of running a household through Canada's many social periods. Creating fascinating snapshots of specific times in the country's history, sidebars throughout The Canadian Housewife feature: Quotes Recipes Household hints Excerpts from books and magazines Advertisements Historical illustrations of housewives at work.

About the author

Rosemary Neering is a Victoria-based writer, editor, and photographer. She has published numerous articles in noted periodicals such as British Columbia Magazine, Canada's History Magazine, and Western Living. Rosemary also has over 40 book-length publications to her name, including A Traveller's Guide to Historic British Columbia and Down the Road. Her most recent publications include The Pig War: The Last Canada-US Border Conflict and British Columbia Bizarre: A Compendium of Facts, Stories, Whimsies and a Few Outright Lies from Canada's Wacky West Coast. When Rosemary isn`t travelling throughout BC looking for new stories, she enjoys time at home with her partner, Joe, and her cat.

Rosemary Neering's profile page

Librarian Reviews

The Canadian Housewife: An Affectionate History

This social history of the housewife begins in the 17th century when women made their own cleaning supplies, spun their own cloth, grew and cooked the food and nursed the family, all while being a wife and mother. The author examines housewives over the centuries and demonstrates how women gradually became informed consumers of goods for their families, family organizers and decorators. The role of women during the World Wars is also discussed. Sidebars provide examples of women’s writings from the relevant era, recipes, advertising and useful websites to further explore issues such as women’s civil rights. The place of women in society, social movements and birth control are also covered.

Caution: some discussion of the role of sex in marriage

Source: The Association of Book Publishers of BC. BC Books for BC Schools. 2006-2007.

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