Maybe There's a Reason the Historical Market is Down

I just started a novel by an author I've never read before, and I never will again. She isn't a new author, she has a string of bestsellers. Maybe she thinks this gives her the right to be sloppy and careless with her research. Maybe she just doesn't care, I'm not sure, but I find her historical inaccuracies so abhorrent, I can't read the story.

I'm not a historical-accuracy fascist, really, I'm not. An anachronism here and there is okay. Misnaming an article of clothing doesn't bother me neither does a slight error in title-usage. But this author has shown complete ignorance about the era in which she is writing about. She assumes the era she is writing about fits the rest of the century when it doesn't.

It bothers me on so many levels. I find it insulting as a reader. It is apparent she underestimates her readers. However, I haven't found a review that has pointed out the errors, so maybe I'm just crabby.

As a writer, it bothers me because the reason I write historicals is because I love history. I like to research an era, learn as much as I can and try to pass my enjoyment on to my readers. I almost had a nervous breakdown when I realized I used the word "hello" in my Regency-era novel. Would anyone really have picked that up? Probably not, but I knew better, so I knew it had to be fixed.

I work hard to make sure my historicals are as accurate as possible and I can't help but hold other authors accountable as well. I'm not expecting an author to have insight into the deep political philosophies of a time period, but to have a good understanding of the basics. While a fashion faux pas seems nit-picky, quite often clothing reflects the attitudes of an era and thus changes the story.

Researching is not that hard, particularly if you are using a historical setting more as a back drop than an actual plot point. I don't think I'm asking too much, am I?