Originally a lawyer, this author discovered a passion for history, specializing in Britain during the Georgian Era. Drawing upon extensive family archives of letters and diaries, he crafts social histories seen through the eyes of his ancestors. His work uniquely blends historical research with visual artistry, often incorporating intricate paper cutouts made by his forebears. Each book delves into a distinct facet of the Georgian period, exploring everything from social customs to artisanal crafts.
Fascinated by history? Wish you knew more? The Illustrated Introductions are here to help. In this lavishly illustrated, accessible guide, find out everything you need to know about the Georgians.
To mark the 300th anniversary of the publication of Robinson Crusoe, this book looks at some of the stories which inspired Daniel Defoe - stories of bravery, courage, determination and good fortune. It looks at Defoe's life and the monumental success of his novel - sometimes described as being the first in the English language. It also considers some of the reasons why people found themselves cast away - as a result of being wrecked, by being abandoned as a punishment, marooned by pirates - or even out of deliberate choice. Major hurricanes in the 18th Century causing huge damage to shipping and loss of life are also looked at, along with catastrophes when ships were lost, not as a result of battles, but because of human negligence, sheer stupidity and bad luck. The book looks at the astonishing tales of survival in the face of adversity - down in the Falklands, in the Caribbean and off the coast of Australia. It examines perhaps the most astonishing story of them all - sixty slaves abandoned on a desolate treeless island in the Indian Ocean and left there for fifteen years. Amazingly, some survived against all odds. It looks at how being cast away brings out the best in some - and in others the very worst, with stories of murder, rape and betrayal.
Brings out the 'dark side' of gin - the lesser-known version of gin's history, as well as the tales of sinister, sad or criminal behaviour.
The lives and loves of some of the most extraordinary women in Georgian Britain.
Everything you ever wanted to know about sex during the reigns of Georges I-IV.
An introduction to the raucous yet educational 'gap year' tours of Europe taken by wealthy British graduates in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.The Grand Tour, the eighteenth-century's precursor to the gap year, was a rite of passage for young aristocrats fresh out of it was a tour of Europe ostensibly taken to absorb culture, knowledge, and appreciation for the arts; but was also often a gateway to womanizing and debauchery. This book looks at how the tour developed in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, examining what the young tourists got up to on their foreign travels – how they acquired 'polish' and knowledge of art, architecture, and opera. It looks at how they developed a passion for collecting, and how they applied those interests to fit out what became one of the triumphs of the eighteenth century – the English country house.
Pirates and Privateers tells the fascinating story of the buccaneers who were the scourge of merchants in the 18th Century.
Fascinated by history? Wish you knew more? The Illustrated Introductions are here to help. In this lavishly illustrated, accessible guide, find out everything you need to know about the Regency
The Georgian era is known for its lavish fashions and sumptuous food, as well as being a time of great social and political change. It saw the birth of the Industrial Revolution, the abolition of the slave trade and the expansion of the British Empire throughout the world. It is also an era greatly associated with the Arts – prolific writers and artists such as Shelley, Wordsworth, Austen and Turner changed the British cultural landscape.History is not just about kings and queens, or battles lost and won, it is also about the way ordinary people lived and changed the world around them. Mike Rendell covers some of the weird and wonderful facts about the era, as well as debunking some of the myths, in easy-to-read, bite-size sections. Find out about the vicar who discovered aspirin and the man who made his fortune from a toothbrush, alongside the personal lives of the monarchy.
This books links the stories of 18th Century courtesans into the way it was perceived at the time and uses satirical illustrations and contemporary quotations.