Round about a Pound a Week (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. Edwardian Poverty, Working Mothers, and Family Budgets in Lambeth's Working-Class HouseholdsBy Mrs. Pember Reeves
Length6h 16m
About this audiobook
Round about a Pound a Week is a landmark of Edwardian social investigation, examining how working-class families in Lambeth survived on roughly a pound a week. Combining household budgets, interviews, and close observation, the book exposes the brutal arithmetic of rent, food, clothing, childbirth, and infant care. Its style is lucid, restrained, and evidentiary, yet morally urgent, placing it within the tradition of reformist social realism and Fabian social research. Mrs. Pember Reeves—Maud Pember Reeves, New Zealand-born writer, suffragist, socialist, and member of the Fabian Women's Group—was deeply engaged in questions of poverty, women's labour, and social policy. Her political commitments and practical investigative work shaped the book's purpose: to replace sentimental assumptions about the poor with documented realities, especially the burdens borne by mothers managing households under impossible economic constraints. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in social history, feminist economics, public health, or the origins of the welfare state. Reeves offers not merely a record of hardship, but a disciplined argument for structural reform. Readers will find it both historically revealing and disturbingly contemporary in its account of poverty's daily negotiations.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A succinct Introduction situates the work's timeless appeal and themes.
- The Synopsis outlines the central plot, highlighting key developments without spoiling critical twists.
- A detailed Historical Context immerses you in the era's events and influences that shaped the writing.
- A thorough Analysis dissects symbols, motifs, and character arcs to unearth underlying meanings.
- Reflection questions prompt you to engage personally with the work's messages, connecting them to modern life.
- Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance.
- Interactive footnotes clarify unusual references, historical allusions, and archaic phrases for an effortless, more informed read.
Audiobook details
Rating★★★★ 4.1 (747)
Includes Goodreads, LibraryThing
GenrePsychology
Length6 hrs 16 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateDec 1, 2023
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Round about a Pound a Week (Annotated)
2Introduction
3Synopsis
4Historical Context
5PREFACE
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6CHAPTER I THE DISTRICT
7CHAPTER II THE PEOPLE
8CHAPTER III HOUSING
9Thirty-one Families with Three or More Children taken within the Investigation.
10Thirty-nine Families with Three or More Children taken from without the Investigation.
11APPENDIX A LIST OF THIRTY-ONE FAMILIES, WITHIN THE INVESTIGATION, FROM WHICH TABLE OF COMPARISON IS COMPILED.
12APPENDIX B LIST OF THIRTY-NINE FAMILIES WITH THREE OR MORE CHILDREN, OUTSIDE THE INVESTIGATION, FROM WHICH TABLE OF COMPARISON IS COMPILED
13CHAPTER IV FURNITURE—SLEEPING ACCOMMODATION—EQUIPMENT FOR COOKING AND BATHING
14CHAPTER V THRIFT
15CHAPTER VI BUDGETS
16CHAPTER VII FOOD: CHIEF ARTICLES OF DIET
17CHAPTER VIII BUYING, STORING, AND CARING FOR FOOD
18CHAPTER IX ACTUAL MENUS OF SEVERAL WORKING MEN’S FAMILIES
19CHAPTER X AMOUNT SPENT A HEAD ON FOOD—PER WEEK, PER DAY
20CHAPTER XI THE POOR AND MARRIAGE
21CHAPTER XII MOTHERS’ DAYS
22CHAPTER XIII THE CHILDREN
23CHAPTER XIV THE PEOPLE WHO ARE OUT OF WORK
24CHAPTER XV THE STANDARD OF COMFORT
25CHAPTER XVI THE STATE AS GUARDIAN
26Analysis
27Reflection
28Memorable Quotes
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