Title: One hot summer
Description: London, 1858. Noteworthy for its broiling summer months and the related stench of the sewage-filled Thames River, the year is otherwise little remembered. Ashton reveals that thanks to significant, if unrecognized, turning points the months from May to August turned out to be a summer of consequence. She mines Victorian letters and gossip, diaries, court records, newspapers, and other contemporary sources to uncover historically crucial moments in the lives of three protagonists: Charles Dickens, Charles Darwin, and Benjamin Disraeli. Invisible threads of connection among Londoners at every social level in 1858 bring the celebrated city and its citizens vibrantly to life.
Subjects: Social conditions, Civilization, Influence, History, Dickens, charles, 1812-1870, Darwin, charles, 1809-1882, Disraeli, benjamin, earl of beaconsfield, 1804-1881, London (england), social conditions, London (england), social life and customs, Dickens, Charles, 1812-1870 -- Influence, Darwin, Charles, 1809-1882 -- Influence, Disraeli, Benjamin, 1804-1881 -- Influence, London (England) -- Civilization -- 19th century, London (England) -- History -- 19th century, London (England) -- Social conditions -- 19th century, Thames River (England) -- History -- 19th century, Great Britain -- Civilization -- 19th century
Places: Thames River (England), Great Britain, London (England)
People: Charles Darwin (1809-1882), Charles Dickens (1812-1870), Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881)
Time periods: 19th century