This page contains a selection of books and other resources most often used in researching elements of the Table Rappers stories.

The A to Z of Edwardian London

This book contains detailed reproductions of Bacon's "New Large-Scale Ordnance Atlas of London & Suburbs". Between 1888 and 1912 (being the actual date of the maps in this book) Greater London swelled over 28% in population and London similarly expanded in physical area.

The book reproduces the 1912 maps which were created at a scale of 4 inches to one mile, and are printed almost to their original size.

In addition there is a street index, maps of the home counties surrounding London, and thirteen specialist maps covering subjects such as Police Divisions and Postal Districts, plus Steam Railways, Water Supplies, Parliamentary Divisions, and more.

As you might imagine, this book is a gold mine of information to help bring that touch of realism to the TableRappers stories, despite our setting being slightly earlier than the dates on the maps (a little more research can unearth any glaring differences between the dates without too much difficulty).

One of the more fascinating aspects of these maps is the sheer numbers of insane asylums and other similar establishments. Specialist disease hospitals are littered across them and even highly specialists hospitals and asylums for specific professional occupations - one such location is the in New Southgate, a location whose name alone has inspired a short story about Keynes. Looking on Google Earth (or Google Maps), that particular asylum is now some kind of business area, but remnants of the nearby and significantly larger , still remain. Other similar buildings elsewhere in London have been transformed into modern apartments and their grounds into housing estates.

Victorian and Edwardian Fashion:
A Photographic Study

With 235 illustrations (period photographs) this book offers a detailed look at the development of fashions through the Victorian to the Edwardian era.

What I find particularly useful are the number of quotes from the time which help to colour the picture of attitudes towards clothing and the language used to describe the fashions.

You will even find a shoppoing list for a typical cost-conscious society woman's warddrobe for the London season (three months), costing a total of