The Bricks that Built the Houses: The Sunday Times Bestseller

Product Information

In Catal Huyuk there were no panes of glass in windows and houses did not have chimneys. Instead, there were only holes in the roofs to let out the smoke. Inside houses were plastered and often had painted murals of people and animals on the walls. People slept on platforms. In Catal Huyuk the dead were buried inside houses. (Although they may have been exposed outside to be eaten by vultures first). With the in-built vertical lift, the machine can build easily to the height of a standard two-storey house, so it is much safer than building in the traditional way. The Minoans were an early civilization on the island of Crete. The Minoans are famous for the palace at Knossos (although there were other palaces at Mallia, Zakro, and Phaistos). The palace at Knossos was built around a central courtyard. On the ground floor of the palace were storage areas. In them, grain and olive oil were stored in large clay jars called pithoi. Aztec nobles lived in much grander houses with many rooms. They were usually shaped like a hollow square with a central courtyard. It often contained gardens and fountains. By law, only upper-class Aztecs could build a house with a second story. If ordinary Aztecs did they could be executed. Inca Houses Inca houses were very simple. They often consisted of just one room (although some houses did have an upper story with a wooden floor).

Ice age humans lived in caves some of the time but they also made tents from mammoth skins. Mammoth bones were used as supports. They wore boots, trousers, and anoraks made from animal skins.In the late 19th century workers’ houses greatly improved. After 1875 most towns passed building regulations which stated that e.g. new houses must be a certain distance apart, rooms must be of a certain size and have windows of a certain size. Chimneys were also a luxury in Tudor times, although they became more common. Furthermore, in the Middle Ages, a well-to-do person’s house was dominated by the great hall. It was not possible to build upstairs rooms over the great hall or the smoke would not be able to escape. In the 16th century, wealthy peopled installed another story in their house over the great hall. So well off people’s houses became divided into more rooms. Tudor Houses

Tempest gives an arch view on the disenfranchisement through characters like Harry: “As if all we want is shit beer and silence, beans and chips and f***ing scratch cards.”None of the improvements of the 16th century applied to the poor. They continued to live in simple huts with one or two rooms (occasionally three). Floors were of hard earth. Aztec Houses I used to get frustrated asking, 'Why am I writing journalistic-style entries when I should be writing a play or a novel?' I felt so urgently I needed to make my mark and get moving, I was distraught about all this writing I was generating that wasn’t a novel. All my life I’ve been writing prose but not publicly. I write often: when I’m moving through the city I’m often just so blown away by encounters and situations. I’ll carry a notebook. I’ll be writing verbatim things I overhear. The London in the novel comes alive through the author’s lyricism: “Modern punks and ancient drunks and new-school rude-girls escaping the drudgery. If you need love, you can come here.”

Description: Award-winning poet and rapper Kate Tempest reads her debut novel, a tale of desire, ambition and untamed hedonism in London's beating heart.I think what we’ve learned - and it’s sad to say - is that we can’t trust anything. Nothing will change. The things that make the world go round are beyond anyone’s control because it’s all about corporate control and profit before people.

Inca homes did not have furniture. People sat and slept on reed mats or animal skins. Doors and windows were trapezium-shaped. (A trapezium is a four-sided shape with only two parallel sides). Roofs were thatched and there were no chimneys. Rich Incas, of course, lived in much grander homes. Inca palaces sometimes had sunken stone baths. Mayan Houses Obviously, this is my first novel; I’m a long way from being comfortable with the form. But I got to the end of this epic process and realised I’m now ready to write my first novel.Furthermore in the 16th-century chimneys were a luxury. However, during the 17th-century chimneys became more common and by the late 17th century even the poor had them. Furthermore in 1600 glass windows were a luxury. Poor people made do with linen soaked in linseed oil. Vibrant but patchy debut novel from an urban poet, whose first rap album (“Everybody Down”) is effectively a rap version of the book – with each song corresponding to a chapter. To add form and character to what can sometimes be a mass expanse of flat wall there are design details that you can incorporate.