# Books about servants' worlds similar to Downton Abbey **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 4, 2014, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-about-servants-worlds-similar-to-downton-abbey/680475 "2014-02-04T03:48:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![xanthous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/53a042/32.png) [@xanthous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xanthous)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2014, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-about-servants-worlds-similar-to-downton-abbey/680475/1 "2014-02-04T03:48:40Z")
I’ve always been fascinated by late 19th/early 20th century elite society, but I’m finding the formality of the servants’ life downstairs on Downton Abbey just as fascinating as I’ve been watching this show. Any recommendations for good books, non-fiction or fiction, that describe a life in service in England during that period? ---
**Author:** ![zombywoof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/9e8a1a/32.png) [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2014, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-about-servants-worlds-similar-to-downton-abbey/680475/2 "2014-02-04T03:59:06Z")
A book recently discussed on NPR’s Fresh Air: > **[Visible And Invisible: 'Servants' Looks At Life Downstairs](https://www.npr.org/2014/01/02/258704323/visible-and-invisible-servants-looks-at-life-downstairs)** > > Author Lucy Lethbridge explores the history of British servants through their diaries, letters and memoirs. She says, "What I found particularly fascinating was how ... butlers were so butlery"; the old caricature of the clever manservant and the... ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2014, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-about-servants-worlds-similar-to-downton-abbey/680475/3 "2014-02-04T04:12:54Z")
Remains of the Day is slightly later than the period you’re talking about, but excellent nonetheless. ---
**Author:** ![manila](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e5b9ba/32.png) [@manila](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manila)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2014, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-about-servants-worlds-similar-to-downton-abbey/680475/4 "2014-02-04T04:18:07Z")
Upstairs Downstairs -An early 70’s effort and probably the best in the genre. Am sure it can be found online and well worth a look > **[Upstairs, Downstairs (TV Series 1971–1975) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066722/)** > > Upstairs, Downstairs: Created by Eileen Atkins. With Gordon Jackson, David Langton, Jean Marsh, Angela Baddeley. The lives and fortunes of the Bellamy family and their below-stairs servant staff at 165 Eaton Place play out against the social,... ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2014, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-about-servants-worlds-similar-to-downton-abbey/680475/5 "2014-02-04T12:40:32Z")
“The Moonstone” by Wilkie Collins has a few interesting chapters written from the head servant’s point of view. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2014, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-about-servants-worlds-similar-to-downton-abbey/680475/6 "2014-02-04T12:54:34Z")
Many years ago, I got my cousin a book called something like “The Butler’s Guide”, which told you how to take care of your things (shoes, clothes, wines, etc.) I can’t find it now, but there are several “Butler’s Guides” at places like Amazon: [http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb\_sb\_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=“The+Butler’s+guide”&rh=n%3A283155%2Ck%3A"The+Butler’s+guide"](http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=%22The+Butler's+guide%22&rh=n%3A283155%2Ck%3A%22The+Butler's+guide%22) They give an idea of what a butler did, and what their lives were like. ---
**Author:** ![Tapiotar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3be4f8/32.png) [@Tapiotar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapiotar)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2014, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-about-servants-worlds-similar-to-downton-abbey/680475/7 "2014-02-04T14:34:28Z")
I just saw this one when I was bookstore browsing yesterday. It is much earlier in period than Downton Abbey, but should be a fascinating look as servant life nonetheless, set in the downstairs life at Longbourn, the home of Elizabeth Bennet of Pride and Prejudice. > **[Longbourn: Baker, Jo: 9780345806970: Amazon.com: Books](https://www.amazon.com/Longbourn-Jo-Baker/dp/0345806972)** > > Longbourn \[Baker, Jo\] on Amazon.com. \*FREE\* shipping on qualifying offers. Longbourn ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2014, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-about-servants-worlds-similar-to-downton-abbey/680475/8 "2014-02-04T16:03:31Z")
One of Sherlock Holmes’ greatest tools was the fact that he acknowledged the existence of the servant classes, and was willing to talk and mingle with them (and even take on cases for them pro bono). ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2014, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-about-servants-worlds-similar-to-downton-abbey/680475/9 "2014-02-04T17:18:15Z")
[Margaret Powell](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Powell) published a memoir, _Below Stairs_, about her experiences as a domestic servant. As I recall, her employment tended to be in smaller homes, nothing quite as grand as Downton, but still very interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2014, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-about-servants-worlds-similar-to-downton-abbey/680475/10 "2014-02-04T18:35:05Z")
I’ve no more read him than I would watch that series, but the experimentalist **[Henry Green](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Green)**’s _Loving_ dealt with English servants in an Irish country house during the second world war. ---
**Author:** ![Tara57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4bbf92/32.png) [@Tara57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tara57)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2014, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-about-servants-worlds-similar-to-downton-abbey/680475/11 "2014-02-04T23:53:58Z")
Rose: My Life in Service to Lady Astor, by Rosina Harrison: > **[Rose: My Life in Service to Lady Astor: Harrison, Rosina: 9780143120865:...](https://www.amazon.com/Rose-Life-Service-Lady-Astor/dp/0143120867)** > > Rose: My Life in Service to Lady Astor \[Harrison, Rosina\] on Amazon.com. \*FREE\* shipping on qualifying offers. Rose: My Life in Service to Lady Astor A Spoonful of Sugar: A Nanny’s Story, by Brenda Ashford: > **[A Spoonful of Sugar: A Nanny's Story: Ashford, Brenda: 9780307951298:...](https://www.amazon.com/Spoonful-Sugar-Nannys-Story/dp/0307951294)** > > A Spoonful of Sugar: A Nanny's Story \[Ashford, Brenda\] on Amazon.com. \*FREE\* shipping on qualifying offers. A Spoonful of Sugar: A Nanny's Story ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2014, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-about-servants-worlds-similar-to-downton-abbey/680475/12 "2014-02-05T03:25:45Z")
The film [_Gosford Park_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gosford_Park) is all about the upstairs-downstairs thing (and portrays the upstairs folk as idiots when not evil), but it’s not based on a book. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2014, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-about-servants-worlds-similar-to-downton-abbey/680475/13 "2014-02-05T03:34:05Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > The film [_Gosford Park_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gosford_Park) is all about the upstairs-downstairs thing (and portrays the upstairs folk as idiots when not evil), but it’s not based on a book. It was also written by Julian Fellowes. ---
**Author:** ![Elemenopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b5e925/32.png) [@Elemenopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elemenopy)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2014, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-about-servants-worlds-similar-to-downton-abbey/680475/14 "2014-02-05T23:26:18Z")
You might enjoy Margaret Atwood’s _Alias Grace_. I believe it was based on an actual murder mystery involving several servants in early 1800’s England. Great period details; it feels like an old memoir. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2014, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-about-servants-worlds-similar-to-downton-abbey/680475/15 "2014-02-06T00:13:02Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > It was also written by Julian Fellowes. What a class traitor!