The World of Downton Abbey

To watch Downton Abbey is to watch a way of life slowly die with an epic story and it kind of reminds me of Gone with the Wind. The best part of the TV show is the personal look into the servants' and nobilities' lives from the early 1900s and how they interacted with each other. You really feel transported to the time period and all the characters are interesting and likable yet flawed. Like any loyal fan would, I bought this book because it had the words "Downton Abbey" on it. I figured I would love it. I did and I got more than I expected. This was more than a behind-the-scenes look at the actors and the locations. Jessica Fellowes takes history and facts from a time period that is kind of overlooked and just makes that time period come alive. You get to go on a journey to see how essentially Jane Austen's time became the world we live in now. She made me care about where the term "weekend" came from and why the Dowager Countess was so baffled by it. Here are a few of the fascinating morsels that I learned: *The whole family will come down for breakfast except the lady because married women get breakfast in bed daily. (Breakfast in bed for Mother's Day anyone?! Now I feel ripped off because it was just something they got EVERY DAY. I'm seriously doubting that our modern world is "better.") *You get to see the beginning of things that have survived to modern times like cornflakes from America. *Country Houses were being torn down left and right after WWI until The Victoria and Albert Museum had an exhibition called "The Destruction of the English Country House" that saved them. (That sounds like the most boring exhibit ever but now I'm depressed that I missed it.) *Cora's back story is from a trend during that time of American women coming to England and marrying English lords. Cora was based on woman in real life named Lady Curzon from the book "To Marry and English Lord." (Okay, I have to admit that I did not notice Cora was American until I read this book.) I adored reading all the history and the real life inspriations for the show. The pictures are beautiful. The actors give insight into their characters. You get to read about everything from clothing, family, and society to war and change. It's a look into an era that is really the beginning of our modern world and the death of a way of life that had been around for a very long time. This book was the perfect companion to my favorite show.

I purchased this for a birthday gift for my partner, she and I are both huge fans of the show. We were slightly apprehensive about this being more of a 'production' companion; that is, showing more of the filming and set design. Instead we were pleasantly surprised to find this a delightful companion to the world of Downton Abbey from the era. Included are many, many gorgeous photos of the abbey and the actors in various scenes. The information included discusses a little about the actual production, but more as the production relates to the actual era and how the filmmakers and designers stayed true to historical aspects. For example, included is an example of what a person of that era would use to wash their hair, or why a particular costume is the way it is. There are fun little factoids, such as pointing out that an American heiress in England would likely travel to Paris once a year and spend up to $20,000 (and that is in 1910s currency) on clothing and jewelry to wear for the upcoming year. The reader also finds out that much of the set, props, and costumes are either authentic pieces from the period, or made with pieces from the period. Many of the costumes have accessories or pieces from the 1920s. Amazing! But even those items that had to be made are made with painstaking detail to historical accuracy. And the historical accuracy of the series is what makes this companion book such a welcome addition for any fan. This book will not tell you of the plot, or spoil any surprises from the show. It does discuss the characters as if they were real people living in the era (i.e. Cora would have done this...). But for those interested in the period from the late 1800s through the 1920s of England's high society, this is a wonderful book. And it really is a welcome gift for fans. *** Of note: the first copy we received had some light damage to a few of the pages (creasing, some folding, and a few tears), amazon shipped a replacement immediately and we are happy now.

This is an absolutely BEAUTIFUL book based on iTV's Downton Abbey! The publisher certainly didn't skimp when it came to quality and detail! I wasn't expecting the book to be as long as it is (it's 300+ pages) but I'm delighted that the author took so much time and effort in writing it. The end result is highly satisfactory! It covers both the first and second seasons of the program and delves into every storyline, every character and every social event (be it a tea party or WWI). Estate life is also examined and fictional characters are compared to real-life people who lived in 19th century England. There is an additional chapter at the end of the book detailing all of the Behind-the-Scenes work that goes into filming the series. This book is crammed full of pictures and interesting tidbits concerning both the cast and crew - you'll absolutely love it if you're a fan of Downton Abbey! I wonder if there will be another book release when the third series airs?

Livre qui donne beaucoup d'information type context historique et explique les fait de l'époque. Si vous voulez en apprendre plus sur l'époque, ce livre est pour vous. Un chapitre également sur le tournage.

Beautiful book with gorgeous illustrations. A great read for other fans of the best programme ever shown on tv. Very happy with my purchase

This book gives really fascinating insights into the making of the hit show as well as the period it is based in, with pictures from the show and advertisements and art from early 20th century England. Makes a wildly interesting read and keepsake for the show, history and even art enthusiasts.

The World of Downton Abbey" ist ein mit viel Liebe zum Detail wunderschön (und aufwendig) gestaltetes Begleitbuch zu den ersten beiden Staffeln der Serie. Es handelt sich um eine gebundene Ausgabe die durchgehend auf Hochglanzpapier gedruckt ist und auf insgesamt 303 Seiten eine unglaubliche Menge an Bildern und Informationen bietet. Zu Beginn des Buches gibt es ein Vorwort von Drehbuchautor und Produzent Julian Fellowes - anschliessend teilt es sich in 9 Kapitel auf: Family Life Society Change Life in Service Style House & Estate Romance War Behind the Scenes Das Buch enthält massig Hintergrundinfos nicht nur zur Serie sondern auch zum ganz alltäglichen Leben in der Zeit kurz vor und während des 1. Weltkriegs. Neben Fotos aus Downton Abbey" wurden an vielen Stellen auch Originalfotos aus der damaligen Zeit, Kostümskizzen, Plakate aus der Kriegszeit, etc. eingefügt! Was Begleitbücher zu Filmen bzw. Serien angeht ist The World of Downton Abbey" sicherlich eines der Besten die ich je gesehen habe!