Thursday, December 1, 2016

Review: Death by Petticoat

Death by Petticoat: American History Myths DebunkedDeath by Petticoat: American History Myths Debunked by Mary Miley Theobald
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was expecting more from this book. It runs through 63 myths of American history and explains why they aren't true. In a few cases there is a grain of truth to them, but mostly the entries rely on logic rather than historical documentation for the debunking. Some of them reminded me of Encyclopedia Brown cases--you know the answer by spotting the historical anomaly.
On the positive side, the style is straightforward and there is an illustration (which are all sourced, unlike the history) for each myth. I did learn several things: the idea of underground railroad quilts passing messages is false; old window glass is thicker on the bottom because of how it was made, not because it flows over time; and colonial wig making was a weird process.
I am counting this book toward the What's in a Name Challenge for the "item of clothing" title.


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