Dear Subscriber,

I think it can be said, at least here in Maryland, that March came in like a lion - so let us hope that perhaps it will follow tradition and go out like a lamb!  My sister in Arkansas reports that she is already seeing blossoms on the forsythia and buds on the daffodils - and that was in February! I'm sure we're all ready for a taste of warmth and sunshine again.  (I know my cat is - she can never understand why I don't just flip a switch and turn off all that nasty cold and wet outside.)

As you can see below, February was a busy month.  I took the plunge and tackled the switch from CreateSpace to Kindle Direct Publishing, and am happy to say that producing the first "Quarterly" of the year was actually easier on the new platform!  Faster, too - if I'd done it on CreateSpace, it would never have been ready for this issue.

I've also been having tons of fun creating a series of Victorian and vintage-themed Easter cards.  Here's a tiny sampler:

I've set up 36 cards on Zazzle, and created a downloadable package of 100 cards that can be printed on your own inkjet or laser printer, or (at a much reduced cost from Zazzle, much as I love them) at your local office supply store.  Plus, I've created several packages of Victorian-themed Easter Egg transfer decorations, which can be printed onto "temporary tattoo transfer paper" and applied to blown eggs to create gorgeous Easter eggs that will last pretty much forever.  (I have a set I created in 2012 and they're still in perfect condition.)  To give your Easter a Victorian touch, visit https://www.victorianvoices.net/bookstore/easter.shtml - that page has links to all the Easter offerings.

And yes - alert eyes will notice that VictorianVoices.net is now "https" instead of http.  Don't worry, it won't be necessary to change any links you might have - old addresses are automatically redirected.  Thanks to Google, people were finding that the site showed up as "insecure" - which caused some uneasiness for visitors.  By the end of this month I hope to get all my sites switched to https.

Now here's what we have for you in March:

• London to New York by Steerage (English Illustrated Magazine, 1895) As steam liners begin dropping passage prices to ridiculously low amounts, a writer decides to discover just what it is like to emigrate from England to America via "steerage."
• Notes by an Artist Naturalist (Girl's Own Paper, 1892-94) Beautifully illustrated monthly series by artist Fred Miller on the flora, fauna and lore of the season.
• Animals as Bargain-Makers (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1894) Animals know a bargain (or lack of one) when they see one!
• Great-Grandmother's Cookery Books (The Strand, 1905) Have you always wanted to know how to cook a cockatrice or make boar pudding? Wonder no more; these recipes (and many others that sound equally delicious) are now at your fingertips!
• Our Dustbins (Leisure Hour, 1868) Ever wonder what the Victorians threw away? Here's a look at Victorian rubbish - and some of the amazing ways in which it was recycled!
• A Morning at Stewart's (Godey's, 1868) A visit to a well-known New York department store.
• Dress Reform for Men (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1883) On the need to reform men's clothing to befit good taste.
• Domestic Warfare (Demorest, 1873) A battle against rats, only won by the acquisition of the rats' most ancient foe!
• Terra-Cotta Painting (Girl's Own Paper, 1881) Tips on creating beautiful hand-painted vases and other decor.
• Beautified House-Linen (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1895) Lovely embroidery patterns for every type of household linen.
• Cream and Apricot Tea (Girl's Own Paper, 1901) The idea is not so much to serve cream and apricots as to design a tea party based upon foods of those colors.
• A Word with Countrywomen (Century, 1884) A refreshing dose of reality for those who try to "keep up with the Joneses" of the city world!
• On Higher Education for Women (Century, 1883) A humorous look at whether women need higher education.
• Fiction: "Pigs Is Pigs" (The Strand, 1905) When it comes to shipping live animals by rail, what exactly constitutes a "pig"?
  

Visit https://www.victorianvoices.net/VT/issues/VT-1903.shtml to download  this issue!

Or download it directly from DropBox:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/91e4mlikrjl4xre/VT-1903.pdf?dl=0

VICTORIAN TIMES QUARTERLY #19 IS HERE!

The latest volume of Victorian Times Quarterly is now available on Amazon, Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.ca.

Victorian Times Quarterly #19 includes the contents of the January, February & March 2019 issues of Victorian Times.  This volume introduces our gorgeous twelve-part series, "Notes by an Artist-Naturalist," with the incomparable artwork of Fred Miller.  Plus, it brings you articles on Britain's Victorian circuit judges, prison breaks, curious inventions, cooking at sea, ancient cookery books, the evolution of the bicycle, village life in early Victorian days, and much more!

To find out more and access the ordering links, please visit https://www.victorianvoices.net/VT/VTQ/VTQ19.shtml

Looking forward to spring...

Your Intrepid Editor,
Moira Allen

editors@writing-world.com