Inaccuracies in books

Nannarose I'm trying to thing of examples but naturally none spring to mind right now!
Re 'The heart's invisible furies' 50p issue: books aren't necessarily published exactly as authors write them. After the text is submitted copy editors and proof readers are let loose on them. This can be stressful for authors! I wonder if the writer of that book originally wrote 'ten bob' but some smart alec young copy editor changed it to an amount that they felt that modern readers might understand? That would be entirely consistent with my experience anyway!

All of the things mentioned so far frustrate me!

For those who love historical fiction but don't want it ruined by modern speech terms, check out books by Alison Weir. She is both a historian and a historical fiction writer and I've read both types of books by her - the Six Tudor Queens series is fantastic! She makes comprehensive notes available at the end of her novels to recap on what is truth, educated guess and, occasionally, changed slightly for the sake of the story.

Saetana Yes, I have read Alison Weir's books too. Also Philippa Gregory is an historian and gives a long summary of sources and notes at the end of her books, and I have enjoyed hers too. But to my mind Hilary Mantel's "Wolf Hall" and "Bring up the Bodies" can't be beaten.

A complete lack of research on the part of many authors.

Re Science. I t became compulsory with 1988 Education Act (National Curriculum etc)
'By raising the school leaving age to 16 (1972), this formed thebasis for creating a nationally organised science curriculum and education in England. However, the 1944 Education Act did not stipulate that science be taught.' says Wikipedia.

My gripe was a poor detective watching live football on a Saturday afternoon on his old TV. If author had said computer, they could probably gave got away with it.

Absolutely. The idiots reign. But as they say Alison Weir, Philippa Gregory and no doubt many others do take accuracy seriously. The danger is people DO very much believe what they see and hear - and so history is rewritten.

I was annoyed about the inaccuries in the TV programmes Back in time. Heart for Christmas dinner! Etc. I did science and Latin at school and no domestic lessons. If we wore our hats in that way we would have been in trouble.
They should have consulted people who lived during those times.

I have also had some women of my age (late 60s) say that 'girls didn't do science when I was at school'. I say 'maybe they didn't at your school - we did at mine!
Yes, we did science at my school Nannarose. However, have you been watching 'Back in Time for School'? Girls were taught science alongside boys in Victorian times but later on everything changed and girls had to learn household management and childcare - under the misleading title 'Domestic Science'.

On a similar vein, my husband gets very irritated by inaccuracies in tv or films with motorbikes, cars or planes. Amazing how many times he picks up on errors even with sounds.

Farmor15 re workhouses. Actually workhouses have been mentioned as far back as 1631. But I do agree with you in the main, and with many others especially as far as speech is concerned. It takes a special kind of writer to capture the essence language of a particular period of time, and they're few and far between.

I am reading The Heart's Invisible Furies too and enjoying it hugely! But I baulked at the adoptive father using an analogy about driving a BMW in 1959! I write historical fiction (meticulously researched) and always add a historical note to say which characters and incidents were real and which invented.

I'm usually a lurker but I have logged in especially to say that I absolutely agree with everything everyone has said thus far on this thread.
I was recently reading a book set in 1967, and given that there are many ways that the author could have checked about attitudes and habits in the 60s I have been amazed at the inaccuracies to the extent that I have had to stop reading the book.
I have had to conclude that the writers and publishers don't care if the books/films are historically inaccurate. I think it possible that they are so afraid of alienating the younger audience that they include current idioms/habits so that the younger reader can identify with the character/plot. This is actually insulting to readers of every age.

It annoys me when authors describe flowers that don't actually bloom in the season their writing about.

Oops..they're not their...how dare I criticise authors!!

Elizabeth and Mary never met and how could Mary have a Scots accent when she was brought up in France? I know there is such a thing as poetic license, but.......

Oh dear. I enjoyed The Heart's Invisible Furies so much I missed the errors. Normally I would be irritated by errors too.

Anachronisns I have noticed
1)London Airport being called Heathrow Airport in the 1950s
2)
The Beatles being mentioned in the 1950s
3) Cliff Richard being mentioned as a "heart throb" in 1956 when he was still Harry Webb and at school.
4) Somebody being "Over the moon" in the 1950s.
Young women who write these things should get someone who lived during that period to check what they are writing about.

One thing that makes me roll my eyes is when they have a cat in a movie, it is usually a normal black cat but they dub in the hoarse cry of a siamese cat. And they usually do the sound even when the cat is shown not opening its mouth or doing anything that would normally make it miaow. And when they need a baby to cry, they usually pick a cry clip that isn't appropriate to the age the baby is meant to be.

The film about Mary queen of Scots is based on a verse play by Friedrich Schiller, and was first put on in 1800. I saw a prose version many years ago at the Edinburgh festival with Hannah Gordon as Mary.

In her nineties my mother started reading novels mainly set in the 20s 30s 40s and 50s. I suppose thinking back to her younger days. One was a male author who wrote novels set the area of London where she grew up. She would get so annoyed about the inaccuracies that in the end she wouldnt read another one of his.

I have just read a book by a relative. It is set in the Middle Ages and the heroine's name is Keira!! Am I wrong to think that name is a very new one?

I couldn't agree more with everything that's been said about inaccuracies. What annoys me is that these fallacies are promoted, people who don't know any better believe them and historical fact is changed as a result.

Sparklefizz - I too love Philippa Gregory, even if she does take a few liberties with historical fact. I tried to read Wolf Hall last year but couldn't get beyond a couple of chapters - I found her writing style to be awful and hard to read, personal taste I suppose