tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post5519598581006439902..comments2024-03-28T09:18:27.312-05:00Comments on Althouse: "There were no chimneys up until about 14th century. What you did was you had an open fire..."Ann Althousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01630636239933008807noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-51979978528512032792010-10-07T15:49:34.337-05:002010-10-07T15:49:34.337-05:00AllenS:
My house was built in 1912. It's (not...AllenS:<br /><br />My house was built in 1912. It's (not counting the basement, er, garden-level, which is now an apartment) about 3000 s/f. There are two (count 'em) original closets in the whole place. <br /><br />Pepys in his diary many times refers to being admitted to grand persons' "closets." Still not sure what sort of room that meant, but I bet he wasn't ushered into a small space full of clothing and legos and broken food processers and old board games and mouse crap--sorry, just my own experience.Focko Smithermanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07542483668873870288noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-37536717749593401852010-10-06T14:22:02.850-05:002010-10-06T14:22:02.850-05:00Bed's much more than just one thing,
It's ...<i>Bed's much more than just one thing,<br />It's garden, boat and boxing ring,<br />It's desert island, mountaintop,<br />It's cradle, grave and final stop.</i>blakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05430444326700437630noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-64317215149202813162010-10-06T11:49:27.953-05:002010-10-06T11:49:27.953-05:00From the NPR piece, it seems that nearly all of th...From the NPR piece, it seems that nearly all of this ground was covered 20 years ago in Witold Rybczynski's "Home."john harvardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17724850574840392332noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-8905787185191218412010-10-06T10:25:17.991-05:002010-10-06T10:25:17.991-05:00Deb:
"Bryson is hilarious but I do not like t...Deb:<br />"Bryson is hilarious but I do not like to listen to him read. I recently listened to Donna Tartt read True Grit. It was a big surprise - just fantastic."<br /><br />The narrator makes all the difference.jungathearthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14052796343893692840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-25482314914011487622010-10-06T08:42:19.166-05:002010-10-06T08:42:19.166-05:00I no longer pay any attention to Bill Bryson.
I l...I no longer pay any attention to Bill Bryson.<br /><br />I loved his book THE MOTHER TONGUE, until someone pointed me to the reviews at Amazon.com. It turns out Bryson was ridiculously wrong about several things.<br /><br />I read non-fiction to learn from someone who knows more than I do about a subject. I'm not interested in spending time, effort and money learning things that just ain't so.<br /><br />WV: hineepr -- those 1980s radio advertisements for a certain winery.marinerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03435598676103731157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-35144492344865177752010-10-06T08:08:29.571-05:002010-10-06T08:08:29.571-05:00take a trip through rural Africa. You will see exa...<i>take a trip through rural Africa. You will see exactly the same thing today. </i><br /><br />And rural Chile, where the Mapuche (indigenous group) live. I would sit in meetings in the traditional dwellings and my eyes would water continuously from the smoke from the fire built on the floor. No chimney. No hole in the roof. Not even an open window. <br /><br />I know I'm supposed to respect indigenous people as being all one with the earth and all, but it's hard to feel that way when a group willfully ignores the available technology.<br /><br />I might say the same about the plumbing in Spanish and French hotel bathrooms: We have a way to keep the noxious gasses from coming back up the pipes and into the room. It's called an <i>elbow joint.</i> Yeah, it's probably American and who wants <i>that</i> imperialism. Better to have stinky rooms than to do as <i>les americaines.</i>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-69378611775027476772010-10-06T08:05:43.849-05:002010-10-06T08:05:43.849-05:00Bryson is an absolute delight. Mother Tongue is on...Bryson is an absolute delight. Mother Tongue is one of my favorite books on language. Notes from a Small Island is punishingly funny. In fact everything of his I've read is wonderful. What a way with words. Oh yeah, the Australia book (Sunburned Country?) is amazing.TMLhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09924861802986466066noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-19812061810445175712010-10-06T07:11:44.135-05:002010-10-06T07:11:44.135-05:00I live in a farm house that was built in 1908. The...I live in a farm house that was built in 1908. There are no closets in the house. Two story, and when I bought the place, two chimneys.AllenShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08848966772462502893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-13002536064589649852010-10-06T04:37:20.160-05:002010-10-06T04:37:20.160-05:00I laughed so hard reading Notes from a Small Islan...I laughed so hard reading Notes from a Small Island while travelling in England that my family would not allow me to read it in public. Bryson is hilarious but I do not like to listen to him read. I recently listened to Donna Tartt read True Grit. It was a big surprise - just fantastic.Debhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08453645332115977645noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-48905397650794485052010-10-05T23:05:23.993-05:002010-10-05T23:05:23.993-05:00I haven't listened to Bryson. We're about ...I haven't listened to Bryson. We're about to take a little driving trip, so maybe I'll download that tonight.<br /><br />When we took a few weeks' trip to England, C. brought Bryson's <i>Notes from a Small Island</i> and I brought the <i>Anglo-Saxon Chronicle</i>. Together they made for some fun tour notes.Bethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16774002797359859550noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-16958616855993958332010-10-05T22:39:41.196-05:002010-10-05T22:39:41.196-05:00I hear you. I must have listened to Herodotus'...I hear you. I must have listened to Herodotus's <i>Persian Wars</i> 50 times because I always fell asleep before Thermopylae. My new mp3 player has a sleep function. Yippee! <br /><br />Reading Bryson is akin to spending time with a gentle, enormously curious friend. I love the surpising elements that capture his interest.Christyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12623422545436294378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-13168506598138503602010-10-05T22:04:53.537-05:002010-10-05T22:04:53.537-05:00I listen to them hundreds of times
Really?
Hundr...<i> I listen to them hundreds of times</i><br /><br />Really?<br /><br /><b>Hundreds</b> of times? <br /><br />We really enjoy Bill Bryson reading his books.<br /><br />Laughed ourselves silly over "A Walk in the Woods" which was our introduction to Bryson.<br /><br />I just am trying to imagine listening to his books hundreds of times.<br /><br />You know, so many books, so little time ....JALhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15503869597362866878noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-15342653474239945852010-10-05T21:16:45.217-05:002010-10-05T21:16:45.217-05:00I understand that if you occasionally(?) throw som...I understand that if you occasionally(?) throw some aluminum cans in your fire it helps prevent creosote formation.jungathearthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14052796343893692840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1854381590658089982010-10-05T21:09:02.073-05:002010-10-05T21:09:02.073-05:00Crack @ 8:15...LOL. That French tradition seems to...Crack @ 8:15...LOL. That French tradition seems to have been learned here. I blame French Language teachers.traditionalguyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05706120413005530014noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-10392850542754422102010-10-05T21:04:04.311-05:002010-10-05T21:04:04.311-05:00"Though a boudoir is now commonly connected w..."Though a boudoir is now commonly connected with a sense of sexual intrigue, Bryson says that the French word actually translates into 'a place to sulk.'..."<br /><br />You sulk?<br /><br />Say it ain't so!edutcherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15589958656028023357noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-4264430589510116502010-10-05T20:59:17.464-05:002010-10-05T20:59:17.464-05:00"all the smoke just kind of leaked out a hole..."all the smoke just kind of leaked out a hole in the roof . . . "<br /><br />Skyler, take a trip through rural Africa. You will see exactly the same thing today.Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17424384180201600935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-70698338233491263802010-10-05T20:43:21.526-05:002010-10-05T20:43:21.526-05:00I fall asleep to suitable Bloggingheads videos; pl...I fall asleep to suitable Bloggingheads videos; pleasant male voices of similar pitch. I don't care to listen to books I'm reading, as I have to go back and find where I fell asleep.<br /><br />Bago, many thanks for inventing the fireplace and fire...I hope you got those patented.jungathearthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14052796343893692840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-57468310434709248222010-10-05T20:29:28.573-05:002010-10-05T20:29:28.573-05:00Has anyone else ever burned a Christmas tree in a ...Has anyone else ever burned a Christmas tree in a fireplace? It's right on the line between fire and explosion. Glorious!bagoh20https://www.blogger.com/profile/10915174575358413637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-21179932789697273412010-10-05T20:21:46.070-05:002010-10-05T20:21:46.070-05:00I just started up my fireplace about 60 seconds be...I just started up my fireplace about 60 seconds before cracking open this Althouse. The first rains of winter just hit L.A. and a warm fire makes it all O.K.<br /><br />According to Wikipedia: "The earliest extant example of an English chimney is at Conisborough Keep in Yorkshire, which dates from 1185 AD."<br /><br />BTW, I invented the chimney... about a week after I invented fire.<br /><br />Enjoy, it's my treat, so smoke em if you got em.bagoh20https://www.blogger.com/profile/10915174575358413637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-87074363096119328172010-10-05T20:15:46.995-05:002010-10-05T20:15:46.995-05:00Though a boudoir is now commonly connected with a ...<i>Though a boudoir is now commonly connected with a sense of sexual intrigue, Bryson says that the French word actually translates into "a place to sulk."...</i><br /><br />Yep, that's the French. You've got to fuck 'em to make 'em stop sulking.The Crack Emceehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08366101526773588864noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-57795966410634549102010-10-05T20:12:46.348-05:002010-10-05T20:12:46.348-05:00I recall seeing some rudimentary form of chimneys ...I recall seeing some rudimentary form of chimneys at Mesa Verda in what was essentially a multistory appartment block.chickelithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10773887469972534979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-43931464166212279502010-10-05T20:11:34.058-05:002010-10-05T20:11:34.058-05:00From the wiki:
Romans used tubes inside the wall...From the wiki: <br /><br /><i>Romans used tubes inside the walls to draw smoke out of bakeries but real chimneys appeared only in northern Europe in the 12th century.</i>chickelithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10773887469972534979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-35268967620302753412010-10-05T20:09:33.483-05:002010-10-05T20:09:33.483-05:00There's a set of books by some French historia...There's a set of books by some French historians called "A History of Private Life" which I really can't recommend enough.<br /><br />Skyler is correct to note that the Romans had multistory dwellings, but the upper floors were unsanitary and cold, and therefore undesirable. Roman houses in Britain had central heating and didn't need chimneys, but only one or two floors could be kept warm this way.<br /><br />Baths and central heating existed in Britain in the 4th century but were forgetten, as Winston Churchill points out, until the 19th.<br /><br />http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypocaust<br />http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/InsulaeGabriel Hannahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12356186353979140904noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-55639358372491647482010-10-05T19:55:16.427-05:002010-10-05T19:55:16.427-05:00Medieval (and earlier) European castles and manor ...Medieval (and earlier) European castles and manor houses were usually centered around a "great hall", basically a very large room with a high ceiling with a fire in the middle. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b1/The_Hall_at_Penshurst_Place_from_Ancestral_Homes_of_Noted_Americans_by_Anne_Hollingsworth_Wharton_%281915%29.jpg" rel="nofollow">Here's a famous example of a medieval (1341) great hall at Penshurst Place in Kent</a>. There generally weren't upper floors for exactly the reason stated in this post: smoke from the main fire rose to the ceiling and out the roof or out windows along the ceiling.<br /><br />There was occasionally an upper room, commonly called a "solar", which was for ladies of status to retire for privacy (but not usually for sleeping).<br /><br />Until the late middle ages, everyone associated with a castle or manor house ate, lived and slept in the great hall. The important people, such as the lord and lady and their attendants, lived at the far end of the hall, often on a dais, and the lesser residents lived toward the other end of the hall. The only privacy in a great hall was provided by curtains, which were usually reserved for the higher-status residents. And almost all furniture was transitory: most people slept on mats or even loose straw, tables were trestle tables which were erected for meals and then taken down, seating was usually benches or the floor, and perhaps chairs for the most important household members. Cooking, though, was usually done in a separate building and brought to the great hall; cooking was only done on the main fire in tiny peasant dwellings.<br /><br />It really was an entirely different way of living. I do think it's something of a stretch to attribute the change in arrangements solely to the chimney, but an interesting theory nonetheless. It is easier to heat one big room than an array of smaller rooms, and thrift, efficiency and survival were the forces that guided most people's lives, not notions of privacy or comfort.Palladianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01105490715666718993noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-72382625978245835672010-10-05T19:37:47.215-05:002010-10-05T19:37:47.215-05:00You couldn't have an upstairs in a house with ...<i>You couldn't have an upstairs in a house with a big fire in the middle until you got a chimney.</i><br /><br />Sure you could. I mean, not an entire enclosed second floor, but people could and did have loft rooms which were used for private purposes.<br /><br />Enclosed beds also were common in such houses. Those are pretty private also, although there's not much you can do in one other than sleep and have sex.jaedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03328666344764784829noreply@blogger.com