The Briggs Book

Tony Holkham's books range from business writing and private writing tuition to consumer advice; from the countryside to spring-cleaning; from World War 1 to fiction, verse and real-life drama. Something for everyone A book about spring-cleaning? Certainly. In the early 20th century, and before, it was common for householders to compile notebooks of household hints and tips. These would have been obtained from newspapers, magazine, product labels or passed down by word of mouth. This little book is typical of the period, and fascinating in its contents. Many of the entries are recognisable, but many ingredients mentioned are no longer obtainable - and in some cases, quite rightly so. The author Tony Holkham is related to the original writer of the book, though he is not quite sure how All he knows is that it is a book worth sharing; many such household compendia will have been assigned to the bin, especially with the arrival of the all-knowing internet and the extinction of the phenomenon known as "spring-cleaning." The Briggs Book gives a little insight into the lives of ordinary people around 100 years ago: how hard they must have worked in the home, and how difficult it was to obtain information to solve a variety of problems, many of which are still irritations today.