Sally Mitchell

This is quite possibly the best book I've picked up yet in the quest for research for multiple historical fiction and steampunk stories. Mitchell integrates women's history well, and always makes a point of describing time frames - important, since the Victorian period is one where things changed so quickly, but something that many authors seem to skip in an attempt to describe a "general" Victorian period which doesn't actually exist.

Most of the books in the "Daily Life" series are excellent.