New Thoughtpiece: Not a Coincidence

Some time ago good fortune led me to pick up and read Katherine Ashenburg's 2007 book, The Dirt on Clean: An Unsanitized History. It is an excellent example of popular history done right. Ashenburg never talks down to the reader while presenting her material in a good-humoured, crisp prose that makes the book tricky to put down. The book designer had a romp through victorian and edwardian era…