Now that Series One and Two, plus the Christmas Special, of Downton Abbey have aired in the US and Canada, we’ve decided to compile a reading list for those serious-minded viewers who’d like to learn more about Edwardian England, World War I, life in an aristocratic household, and what lies ahead for the Crawleys and their servants. Warning: Spoilers ahead.
Photograph: ITV.
The first domino to fall in the lives of those at Downton Abbey is the sinking of the Titanic. James Crawley, Lord Grantham’s heir, and his son Patrick Crawley, Lady Mary’s fiancé, perished in the disaster (or did Patrick Crawley survive as Peter Gordon?). Who else was aboard?
Titanic: The Last Night of a Small Town by John Welshman (UK, US)
Also read John Welshman’s blog post on the cross-section of society who was aboard the Titanic.
What was the aristocratic lifestyle of the Earl and Countess Grantham; their three daughters, Lady Mary, Lady Edith, and Lady Sybil; and Lord Grantham’s mother the Dowager Countess?
Making Aristocracy Work: The Peerage and the Political System in Britain 1884-1914 by Andrew Adonis (UK, US)
What was life like for Mr Carson, Mrs Hughes, O’Brien, William, Mrs Patmore, and others downstairs?
Knowing Their Place: Domestic Service in Twentieth Century Britain by Lucy Delap (UK, US)
.jpg "Highclere Castle (Downton Abbey)")
Highclere Castle (Downton Abbey). Photo by Richard Munckton.
Mr Bates was Lord Grantham’s batman and is now his valet. What was life in the Edwardian army like for both men?
The Edwardian Army: Manning, Training, and Deploying the British Army, 1902-1914 by Timothy Bowman (UK, 0 Comments on The Oxford Companion to Downton Abbey as of 1/1/1900