Civil War and Salt Fish

Historical rabbit holes, for those who are inclined.

These slender booklets from Historical Management Associates are the work of an organization dedicated to historical re-enactment in the UK. They are written with a stickler’s attention to historical precision and a conviction that nothing is too arcane to investigate. Some of the books are simple transcriptions of period manuscripts; others represent significant original research, as in Cattle Farming and Grazing Management, which is 52 pages long but cites 36 sources, many of them published in the 17th century.

From the introduction: “This book focuses on the period 1640-1650.  Military diet receives great attention as the only comprehensive records of food consumed by common people lie in the quartermasters accounts.  Civilian references are far more disjointed.”  Chapters include The Soldier’s Diet, The sailors Diet, The Civilian Diet, The Foodstuffs, and Ways and Means.

Staplebound pamphlet. 46 pages. Sketches and black-and-white photographs.