Servants: A Downstairs History of Britain from the Nineteenth Century to Modern Times, Lethbridge - C

                                              As an ardent fan of 'Downton Abbey',  I couldn't pass this one up, but throughout the reading of the book, I wished I had. There's a table of contents, chapters and a structure, but I must admit I struggled finding a theme or any sense of continuity.  Perhaps it is that my acuity has been dampened by pain pills as I recover from a skiing mishap, but I don't think that's the case. The author simply strings together endless anecdotes about those above and below the stairs and it's difficult to to piece together anything resembling a 'history' as promised in the sub-title.  Thus, I find myself trying to compare the stories here (it is very well researched) with Downton, and the conclusion I've come to is that Julian Fellowes did an amazing amount of quality work putting the show together. I suspect it's not that hard to draw up Robert, Lady Mary or the Dowager. His Mr. Carson, though, is a masterpiece, who perfectly represents and epitomizes the whole system.  He is the conscience of the house, the enforcer of appropriateness, the one with an exceptional knowledge of all that is important, the rock upon which Grantham rests.  By the turn of the 20th century, domestic service was the single largest category of employment in Great Britain. Indeed, on the eve of the Great War, there were 1.6 million servants in Britain.   A 1911 law requiring master and servant to contribute to a medical insurance system (Lloyd George's version of Obamacare), the war itself and significant post-war death and transfer taxes signaled the beginning of the end for the old landed gentry system - there was simply too much pressure for matters to continue as they had. At Downton, we see the staff slightly reduced,  economies and efficiencies introduced into the farming operation and some of the land about to be parceled off for development. The Depression and the ongoing globalization of agriculture continued the assault, and by the beginning of WW2, only 4.8% of the nation's households employed live-in help. "The war struck the final blow to the life of the English great houses, their upholding of traditions whose source and purpose had been long forgotten."   I did not manage to finish the chapters that outlined a late 20th century quasi- return to the past.  Globalization, immigration from throughout the Commonwealth,  and the massive influx of wealth into the City has recreated a world of upstairs and downstairs. I doubt Mr. Carson, though, is being emulated in this new era.