
Up and Down Stairs: History of the Country House Servant
Up and Down Stairs: History of the Country House Servant by Jeremy Musson is a “great read” and a “perfect primer for those venturing to Winterthur” to see the Downton Abbey costume exhibition. (John Murray, 2010, $15.95)

Swan Thieves
Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova weaves art history and painting together in fine fashion in a novel that describes a psychiatrist and amateur artist who provides care to a renowned painter convicted ofattacking a canvas at the National Gallery of Art. (Back Bay Books, 2010, $15.95)

Vermeer’s Hat: The Seventeenth Century and the Dawn of the Global World
This “quick, evocative book” by Timothy Brook uses a selection Vermeer’s paintings to “observe the emergence of the modern, interconnected world.” (Bloomsbury Press, 2008, $18)

The Architecture of Diplomacy: The British Ambassador’s Residence in Washington
Anthony Sheldon and Daniel Collins describe the beautifully wrought building that is the capital’s “closest thing to Downton Abbey.” (Flammarion, 2014, $65)