damned_colonial: Convicts in Sydney, being spoken to by a guard/soldier (Default)
damned_colonial ([personal profile] damned_colonial) wrote in [community profile] dreams_library 2010-05-01 09:38 am (UTC)

Liza Picard's "Dr Johnson's London" is Georgian period. I have three of her "London" books and find them to be pretty good, readable overviews of the period. I'd characterise them as a bit more serious/reliable than "What Jane Austen Ate..."

Roy Porter also has a good social history of England in the 18th century but you might find it a little less readable. I mean, I don't think he's particularly pompous, but it's not especially light and approachable like Bill Bryson.

If you're at all interested in more specific aspects of the period, I can recommend eg. Brian Lavery's "Nelson's Navy" (incredibly readable! pictures! awesomeness!) as one of my favourite books about that era.

(ETA: ha ha I just realised this post is from 2009! The date had me fooled! I was thinking, what does six want with such an introductory book? Is she looking for something for a friend?)

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