Inconvenient Non-Existing Liturature

So I decided what I really need is the "Writer's Guide to Steampunk: Historical Information to Build On." However, as far as I can tell it doesn't exist. Oh sure, I've found plenty of stuff on steampunk, steampunk themes, common featured inventions, the history of steampunk, etc. But that's not what I'm looking for. I want something that tells me exactly what life was like back around the turn of the century. Something highly historically accurate.

I don't need it telling me about steampunk, because part of the point of steampunk is to make it your own and have your own inventions and such. But a good portion of steampunk is drawn from Victorian era culture, political events, clothing, and technology. (Don't hate on my Oxford comma. I think it looks nice.) So, even if you are on a different planet or modified the countries in Europe to match your needs, some of the culture is going to be at least a portrayal of actual historical culture.

Steampunk tends to vary. The Difference Engine by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling seems to feature the world as it would be after the invention of something historically thought up, but not built in real life. It is based on something historically appropriate. But that world looks very different. I'm not sure, I haven't finished it yet.

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld is based on actual political events, but then peppered strongly with steam engine creations and fabricated animals.

The Girl With the Steel Corset by Kady Cross uses actual places, but other than that, tends to come off very sci-fi, just with some of the ideas being older, like the Hollow Earth.

Girl Genius uses some of the clothes and mentions "Americas" and "Britain," but otherwise is in a very fictional universe.

And...well, I haven't read that much. I really only got into steampunk like a month ago. I am amazed at how much of a popular movement it is.

But my point is with whatever level of separation from reality you choose to put your steampunk at, some things would be good to know.

I am merely dabbling at writing something steampunk and I have already spent alot of time on Wikipedia just trying to establish if light bulbs were invented, how widespread the telephone was, were cowboys still in existence, and what sort of plumbing people had at the time. I never really figured out the plumbing bit.

But that would be like a section of this imaginary book! "Plumbing: The rich, the poor, and in between." Apparently, there was a fairly high separation among the classes at the time. So like this imaginary book would cover what life was like and what things were available to the rich, what education they had, how they actually dressed (sans goggles, I'm sure). So you could get the details you want to keep and the details you want to build on and the ones you choose to eliminate, but for a good reason.

Another section would talk about the technology available at the time. I believe cars were still considered an oddity and electricity wasn't available to everyone and phones were limited... but these are vague assumptions.

Another section would cover political climate at the time. This was shortly before World War I and the Prohibition and other fun political things. Women couldn't even vote yet. Tension was rising in Europe. The Irish famine was over, but not long past. Immigration to America was on the rise.

Now, it has been suggested that I write this book. However, as I wanted this book to save me time and effort, it seems as though writing this book would be waaaaaay more time and effort than just actually researching the things. And I'm sure I couldn't quote Wikipedia as a source.

My next idea is to find a steampunk society and apprentice in. I'm sure that would work.