My Favorite Reads 2012 - Nonfiction

Continuing with My Favorite Reads 2012, I'm spotlighting two favorite nonfiction selections, both which fed my addiction to the PBS series, Downton Abbey. 

To Marry an English Lord by Gail MacColl  was a fun pictorial/anecdotal history of the wealthy young American women who traveled abroad to find love and marriage among European aristocrats. A scrapbook-styled book filled with tidbits of trivia involving fashion, etiquette, entertaining, correspondence, courting, and other interesting topics related to the Victorian and Edwardian periods.

 

Continuing to add to my growing collection of all things Downton Abbey, The World of Downton Abbey by Jessica Fellowes is sitting on my coffee table as we speak. I've flipped through it again in anticipation of the Season 3 in 2013.

And speaking of Season 3, here's the trailer for the new season (January 6, 2013) of Downton Abbey! Are you a fan of the show? 

The World of Downton Abbey by Jessica Fellowes

A lavish look at the real world--both the secret history and the behind-the-scenes drama--of the spellbinding Emmy Award-winning Masterpiece TV series Downton Abbey

"April 1912. The sun is rising behind Downton Abbey, a great and splendid house in a great and splendid park. So secure does it appear that it seems as if the way it represents will last for another thousand years. It won't."

Millions of American viewers were enthralled by the world of Downton Abbey, the mesmerizing TV drama of the aristocratic Crawley family--and their servants--on the verge of dramatic change. On the eve of Season 2 of the TV presentation, this gorgeous book--illustrated with sketches and research from the production team, as well as on-set photographs from both seasons--takes us even deeper into that world, with fresh insights into the story and characters as well as the social history.
(from Amazon)

my thoughts:

Are you a fan of Masterpiece Theatre's Downton Abbey? Are you enthralled with all things related to the upstairs/downstairs world of the characters and their secrets and heartaches? Then this delightful and beautiful hardbound edition, The World of Downton Abbey by Jessica Fellowes, is for you!

For the ultimate Downton Abbey fan, there is glorious photography with text on the following chapters:

Family Life
Society
Change
Life in Service
Style
House and Estate
Romance
War
Behind the Scenes

It also includes suggestions for further reading on related topics which is very helpful.

The inside photographs and text are copyrighted material so I am not able to illustrate the content here, but click here to go to Amazon.com to view examples of the photography and content. My copy is staying on my coffee table for constant enjoyment! I love it!

Title: The World of Downton Abbey: The Official Companion to Seasons 1 and 2
Author: Jessica Fellowes
December 2011
St. Martin's Press
304 pages