Of Victorians and Vegetarians
2007 book by James Gregory
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Of Victorians and Vegetarians: The Vegetarian Movement in Nineteenth-century Britain is a 2007 book by the British historian James Gregory, published by Tauris Academic Studies. It is a history of vegetarianism in the Victorian era, from its early organisation in the 1830s to the end of the century. Gregory covers the movement's societies, beliefs, membership, public image, and connections with medicine, religion, reform politics, and domestic practice.
First edition cover | |
| Author | James Gregory |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Subject | Vegetarianism in the Victorian era |
| Publisher | Tauris Academic Studies |
| Publication date | 27 June 2007 |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
| Media type | Print (hardback) |
| Pages | 313 |
| ISBN | 978-1-84511-379-7 |
| OCLC | 237138383 |
| Website | bloomsbury |
Background
James Gregory is associate professor of modern British history at the University of Plymouth. He completed a PhD in history at the University of Southampton in 2002.[1]
Gregory's doctoral thesis, The Vegetarian Movement in Britain c.1840-1901: A Study of Its Development, Personnel and Wider Connections, treated many of the subjects later covered in the book, including vegetarianism's links with medicine, temperance, religion, animal protection, radical politics, the vegetarian press, restaurants, and local societies.[2] He also compiled a biographical index of about 1,470 British vegetarians and food reformers active between c. 1837 – c. 1901.[3]
Summary
The book begins with the early history of organised vegetarianism in Britain, including the Concordium at Alcott House, the influence of the Bible Christians, and the founding of the Vegetarian Society in 1847. Gregory discusses early figures such as James Simpson, Joseph Brotherton, William Horsell, and George Dornbusch, and follows the movement through local societies, lectures, banquets, and the vegetarian press, especially The Vegetarian Messenger and its successor, The Vegetarian Messenger and Health Review.
Subsequent chapters cover the arguments used by vegetarians and the settings in which they were made. Topics include health and disease, orthodox and alternative medicine, religious and ethical motives, anti-cruelty and anti-vivisection sentiment, and the movement's links with temperance, dress reform, and the co-operative movement. Gregory also discusses the charge of faddism and the movement's changing relationship with radical and labour politics.
The book also treats everyday vegetarian practice. It covers cookery, household economy, restaurants, public banquets, specialist suppliers, and print culture, including cookery books and menus. Other chapters address class and gender, the growth of the London Vegetarian Society under Arnold Hills, the work of women activists including the Women's Vegetarian Union, and the representation of vegetarians in newspapers, magazines, satire, and fiction, including Erewhon.
Reception
In The English Historical Review, Harriet Ritvo described the book as an exhaustively researched survey of organised vegetarianism in its social and cultural setting. She noted Gregory's treatment of institutional development, regional tensions, food practices, and the movement's largely middle-class base, while raising questions about its relation to modern vegetarianism.[4]
Reviewing the book in Medical History, Ian Miller praised Gregory's account of the movement's organisation and its place in debates about health, morality, and modernity. He also commended the discussion of vegetarian meals, restaurants, and banquets, and described the book as an important contribution to the history of food and diet in Victorian Britain.[5]
In the Journal of Social History, John K. Walton called the book a wide-ranging study of a small but culturally and politically interesting movement. He praised its use of the vegetarian press and its treatment of regional, class, and gender differences, though he noted some minor errors and questioned Gregory's use of the term "zoophilia".[6]
Writing in the Journal of British Studies, Margaret Puskar-Pasewicz argued that the book established Victorian vegetarianism as a distinct movement rather than simply a branch of health reform. She praised Gregory's reconstruction of the movement's organisations, press, and restaurants, while suggesting that some of the book's larger themes were not fully developed.[7]
A notice in Victorian Studies by Ryan Noah Shapiro praised the book's research and its treatment of vegetarian practice, labour, science, medicine, and gender, though he found the organisation at times uneven.[8]
Publication history
Of Victorians and Vegetarians was first published in hardback in London by Tauris Academic Studies, on 27 June 2007.[9] An ebook edition followed on 29 June 2007, and a paperback edition was released on 23 July 2020.[10][11]
