I am reading(Listening to) Bill Byron's new book, "AT HOME" (a short history of private life). It is a book of history, architecture, and inventions that are all told around the theme of how private homes and houses came to be.
The benefit of the audio book is Bill Bryson's voice. He would make a phone book sound like fun, but most of all he weaves such good stories. I am but a few chapters in but I have learned the history of the "Hall", the "closet" and am now on the "Kitchen". This is an interesting book.
Today I read about "chest-of-drawers" or as my family always called them: Chester Drawers.
Originally, families who had more than one set of clothes would keep them in a chest. You the items we refer to as cedar chests, those curved top wood chests. I learned that they were rounded on top to keep the rain out. Yes, many of the early homes weren't that water tight and when the family moved, the chest was one of the only pieces of furniture taken.
Since everything was placed on top of each other in the chest, unloading it was a chore. So much later the idea came to put drawer in the side of the chest. A little later legs were added so a person would not have to stoop. Thus, Chest-of-Drawers or Chester Drawers!
See I learned something new today, and maybe you did too.
I am a big fan of Mr. Bryson's books including, "A Walk in the Woods", "In a Sunburned Country" and "I'm a Stranger Here Myself".
I am excited that in November we have tickets to his lecture in Fayetteville. Super Cool!
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