The household account book of Sir Thomas Puckering of Warwick, 1620

"This book of household accounts...offers a rare and significant insight into the life and society of a baronet and member of parliament. Neatly divided into chapters reflecting contemporary themes in household management, the accounts record both routine occurrences, such as weeding the garden or paying servants' wages, and extraordinary events such as the building of a banqueting house or the welcoming of traveling players. For some six months in 1620 Puckering lodged in metropolitan London's prestigious neighborhoods, so his accounts also show the requirements of a substantial household living away from its principal home: how people and goods traveled from one to the other and what could be bought in the fashionable markets of the capital city...Following Puckering up and down the roads between London and the Midlands demonstrates the logistics of the maintenance of elite identity and provides uniquely rich details of the materials and markets on which it depended." -- From publisher's description.