If you enjoy his books, you will enjoy his column as well. This one is about items around the house including eating times and the bedroom. Bill Bryson at The Guardian.
Beds themselves became a particular source of disquiet. Even the cleanest people became a steamy mass of toxins once the lights went out, it seemed. Twin beds were advocated for married couples, not only to avoid the shameful thrill of accidental contact, but also to reduce the mingling of personal impurities.
Beds were hard work, too. Turning and plumping mattresses was a regular chore – and a heavy one, too. A typical feather bed contained 40lb (18kg) of feathers. Support was on a lattice of ropes, which could be tightened with a key when they began to sag (hence the expression "sleep tight"), but in no degree of tension did they offer much comfort. Spring mattresses were invented in 1865, but didn't work reliably at first because the coils would sometimes turn, confronting the occupant with the very real danger of being punctured by his own bed.
