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Campaigns of Curiosity: Journalistic Adventures of an American Girl in London

Public domain audiobook

Campaigns of Curiosity: Journalistic Adventures of an American Girl in London

by Elizabeth L. Banks

English· 06:18:40· 21 chapters
Elizabeth Banks was an American journalist who, at about age 23, moved to London. While trying to break into English journalism and to keep the wolf from the door, she struck upon the idea of hiring out as a housemaid in some London household and writing about her experiences. Subsequently, she became a street sweeper, flower-seller, and a laundress. On the flip side, she advertised as an heiress and demonstrated how easy it was for a wealthy American to "buy a pedigree" and entry into the higher social circles. This book is her relation of these experiences.

These were her public-facing accounts. She gives a more personal, behind-the-scenes version in The Autobiography of a Newspaper Girl. - Summary by TriciaG

LibriVox recordings are public domain in the United States; copyright status may differ elsewhere.

Chapters

  1. Chapter 1

    Preface

    15:04
  2. Chapter 2

    In Cap and Apron: "Liberty" and "Independence"

    14:38
  3. Chapter 3

    In Cap and Apron: Seeking a Situation

    22:53
  4. Chapter 4

    In Cap and Apron: "Elizabeth Barrows," Housemaid

    18:49
  5. Chapter 5

    In Cap and Apron: Rough Places "Smoothed Over"

    21:51
  6. Chapter 6

    In Cap and Apron: Without a "Character"

    24:37
  7. Chapter 7

    In Cap and Apron: Parlourmaid to Mrs. Brownlow

    23:01
  8. Chapter 8

    In Cap and Apron: My Last Days in Service

    21:40
  9. Chapter 9

    In Cap and Apron: The Merits of Domestic Service

    21:43
  10. Chapter 10

    The "Almighty Dollar" in London Society: Advertising for a Chaperon

    09:39
  11. Chapter 11

    The "Almighty Dollar": Offers of Marriage

    09:25
  12. Chapter 12

    The "Almighty Dollar": What It would Cost

    08:56
  13. Chapter 13

    The "Almighty Dollar": Interesting Antecedents

    06:00
  14. Chapter 14

    The Price of a Pedigree

    24:41
  15. Chapter 15

    Sweeping a Crossing

    16:27
  16. Chapter 16

    A Day with the Flower-Girls

    22:00
  17. Chapter 17

    Among the Laundry-Girls: Why and How I Became One of Them

    22:14
  18. Chapter 18

    Among the Laundry-Girls: At Work in a "Sanitary Laundry"

    17:13
  19. Chapter 19

    Among the Laundry-Girls: A Contest with Flat-Irons

    17:58
  20. Chapter 20

    Among the Laundry-Girls: The Day of My Resignation

    19:06
  21. Chapter 21

    Among the Laundry-Girls: "Soap-Suds Island" and the East-End

    20:45