Life in a Bustle (ePub)

A book helping us cope with the pace of life at the turn of the (nineteenth) century, celebrating the 175th anniversary of The London Library

Every age has its own special difficulties and dangers. The disease which specially threatens this generation is restlessness, distraction, dissipation of intellectual and moral power. Its consequence is exhaustion and nervous collapse. And its symptom is Hurry

At the turn of the (last) century, the world was changing rapidly. Trains were faster, cheaper and more comfortable than ever before. The new craze of bicycling had given men and women unprecedented independence. And the modernisation of telegraphy and the recent invention of the telephone meant that information could be exchanged over huge distances in a mere matter of minutes.

And so a disgruntled and discarded older generation took to pamphlets, leaflets and speeches to pass on their wisdom before it was too late. Alarmed but good-natured, didactic but profound, the resulting 'advice to youth' is valuable guidance for anyone troubled by the rush and bustle of the early century's information overload.

Life in a Bustle is part of 'Found on the Shelves', published with The London Library. The books in this series have been chosen to give a fascinating insight into the treasures that can be found while browsing in The London Library. Now celebrating its 175th anniversary, with over 17 miles of shelving and more than a million books, The London Library has become an unrivalled archive of the modes, manners and thoughts of each generation which has helped to form it.